Brussels Airport welcomed nearly 2.3 million passengers in May, marking continued growth despite ongoing disruption linked to the conflict in the Middle East and a national day of industrial action in Belgium.
A total of 2,271,847 passengers travelled through Belgium’s largest airport during the month, representing a 3.2% increase compared with May 2025.
The airport said growth was supported by several long weekends, including the May Day holiday period, as well as the end of school holidays in French-speaking Belgium.
Passenger growth continues
Despite operational challenges, Brussels Airport maintained its upward trajectory, extending the positive trend seen since the start of the year.
Popular holiday destinations continued to drive demand, with Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Morocco, Germany, Portugal, France, the United States and Switzerland ranking among the airport’s most travelled-to markets during May.
Transfer traffic also remained strong. Outbound connecting passengers accounted for 13% of total passenger volumes and recorded further growth, particularly on routes linking Europe, Africa and North America.
The airport said this underlined its role as a key European hub connecting the three regions.
Middle East conflict affects operations
The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continued to impact airline operations during May.
Flights to Tel Aviv and Doha remain suspended, while services to Dubai and Abu Dhabi are operating at reduced frequencies.
The disruption follows several months of operational challenges linked to the regional security situation.
Industrial action disrupts travel plans
Airport operations were also affected by a national day of industrial action on 12 May.
Around 25,000 passengers were unable to take their scheduled flights as a result of the strike action.
However, Brussels Airport noted that the impact was less severe than on previous strike days. Nearly half of all planned passenger flights operated as scheduled, unlike the eight earlier national industrial action days recorded since January 2025.
Flight movements and load factors increase
Commercial aircraft movements rose by 0.6% compared with May last year.
Passenger flight movements increased by 0.8%, while cargo flights recorded growth of 0.4%.
Passenger load factors also continued to improve, reflecting sustained demand and more efficient aircraft utilisation.
On average, each flight carried 147 passengers during May, four more than in the same month a year earlier.
