Brussels Airport welcomed 11.28 million passengers in the first six months of the year, marking a 4% increase compared to the same period last year, according to an announcement on Wednesday.
This marks the best first half of a year for the airport since 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic started. In 2019, Brussels Airport experienced a record year with nearly 26.4 million passengers. By mid-2019, the passenger count was 12.28 million, one million more than this year.
The airport highlighted that five national trade union actions, targeting the federal government, impacted airport operations in the first half of the year. Over 230,000 passengers saw their flights cancelled. In the latest such action on 25 June, all departing flights were cancelled, and more than half of the incoming flights were affected.
In June alone, Brussels Airport received 2.18 million passengers, a 4% increase year-on-year. Additionally, the airport handled 63,200 tons of cargo, representing an 18% rise.
The summer holidays are traditionally very busy at the airport, which earlier announced expectations of over five million passengers during July and August.
