Brussels: Europe and the Arabs

Belgian airports have seen an increase in the number of passengers and flights. While the number of departing and arriving flights in 2025 did not reach the levels of 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic, passenger numbers did reach a record high. This was announced by the Belgian statistics office (Statbel) in its 2025 aviation data publication. According to a statement from the Belgian office, a copy of which we received, more than 36 million passengers passed through Belgian airports in 2025, an increase of nearly 4% compared to the previous year. This figure surpasses the previous record set in 2019 (35.5 million arriving and departing passengers).

The total number of flights (passenger and cargo) rose again in 2025, reaching 296,756, a slight increase of 3.4% compared to 2024, but still lower than the 325,000 flights recorded in 2019. In 2025, just over two million tons of cargo were transported, representing an increase of nearly 13% compared to 2024. Belgium remains a major hub for the transport of goods and mail within the European Union.

In 2025, more than one billion passengers traveled within the EU. With 36 million passengers, Belgium ranked twelfth.

As for the transport of goods and mail through its airports, Belgium jumped to third place, surpassed only by Germany and France in terms of cargo volume.