According to figures from Brussels Airport, the company that runs Belgium’s biggest airport at Zaventem (Flemish Brabant), a total of 24.4 million passengers travelled through the airport last year. However, the figures would have been 275,000 higher were it not for the 7 days of industrial action that took place last year.
Although the strikes were in protest at government policy and not at the actions of the airport or the airlines and support companies that operate there, they did result in 2,400 flights being cancelled.
Figures released previously by Brussels Airport calculated the financial impact of the strikes on the airport as being around 175 million euro.
Passenger numbers up
3.3% more passengers passed through Zaventem last year than was the case in 2024. However, last year’s figure of 24.4 million passengers is still almost 2 million below the number in 2019 that was a record year for the airport.
One record was set in 2025 though as the average number of passengers per flight rose to 145.
Spain, Italy and Germany were the most popular destinations last year.
Brussels Airport’s CEO Arnaud Feist told journalists that “Despite the challenges we faced, such as strikes and a cyber incident at one of our suppliers, we remained focused on our core task: connecting people, businesses and communities, both for passenger traffic and cargo. This is also reflected in the figures, with growth in both passenger and cargo traffic.”
The airport handled 795,000 tonnes of cargo last year, a rise of 8.5% on 2024. Asia ranks first for both imports and exports of air cargo.