The start of the summer holidays has clearly had a positive impact, despite the ban on organized travel to tourist hotspots such as Tunisia and Egypt. In July, Brussels Airport welcomed 1,268,257 passengers, i.e. 46% of the passenger numbers for July 2019, and over double the figure for July 2020.
The number of passengers travelling through Brussels Airport in July represents a decrease of 54% compared to July 2019. The first month of the 2021 summer holidays, however, saw continuous improvement from week to week, from 43% of the passenger numbers recorded in July 2019 for the first week of July, to 50% in the final week of July.
Brussels Airport also recorded more departing than arriving passengers over the course of the month, as is always the case during this period. Holiday flights, in particular within Europe, naturally impacted positively on the figures, as did trips to visit family and friends or to a holiday home.
The top 10 destination countries in July were:
1. Spain
2. Greece
3. Italy
4. Morocco
5. Turkey
6. Portugal
7. France
8. Germany
9. US
10. Switzerland
Greece (79% of the numbers for 2019) and Morocco (114% of the numbers for 2019) were especially popular destinations. There is also a negative effect from important holiday destinations to which organised travels are currently not permitted – such as Egypt, Tunisia, Cape Verde and the Caribbean.
The total number of flight movements fell by 40% in July 2021 compared to pre-pandemic times (2019). Brussels Airport recorded 13,631 movements (versus 22,599 in July 2019). The number of passenger flights fell by 48%. There were on average 122 passengers per flight, compared to 137 in July 2019.
The number of cargo flights (full cargo & express services) is slightly higher in July 2021 compared to July 2020 (+7%). The number of flights operated by passenger aircraft used to carry freight only reduced slightly from month to month, due primarily to the resumption of regular passenger flights. In July, they still accounted for one-third of full cargo flights.
