Brussels Airport is expecting to finally beat pre-pandemic numbers of passengers for the Christmas holiday period, reaching the benchmark of 1 million passengers for the first time.
The previous record for this holiday period, which lasts from 20 December to 5 January, was set during the 2019 Christmas break, with 988,000 passengers passing through the airport. Besides being a record, the 1 million passengers expected this year will also be a significant increase from the 850,000 people passing through the airport last year.
The busiest day of the holiday will be Friday, 20 December, the airport says, with 72,000 passengers expected, including 40,000 departing travellers. They will all be able to enjoy a unique Christmas concert that day by the “Scaletta Choir”, the children and youth group of the “Scala & Kolacny Brothers” Belgian women’s choir. The concert will take place in the Connector, between the departures hall and Pier A.
Preparing to greet all these passengers wrapped in a festive winter spirit, Brussels Airport has set up dozens of Christmas trees and thousands of twinkling lights to help create a magical winter holiday atmosphere. A festive Christmas market has also been set up on Gate B, offering mulled wine, hot chocolate and fresh waffles. At the terminal, travellers can also send postcards and even create a personalised snow globe with their picture.
This winter season, travellers can choose from 142 direct destinations worldwide, including a few new options like Bangkok, Curaçao and Tromsø. Classic winter sports destinations like Innsbruck, Salzburg and Kittila also continue to be popular choices over the Christmas break, the airport says. Passengers seeking sunny destinations can also choose, among others, the Canary Islands, Egypt the Cape Verde Islands, Morocco, Tunisia.
To avoid any unpleasant surprises during the busy period, the airport advices passengers to arrive at the airport in time for their flight and check the website for personalised advice and recommended times. The Brussels Airport app also offers updated info about flights, such as the check-in desk and gate number.
For a smooth transit through the premises, the airport also suggests travellers to either opt for public transport or reserve a parking space in advance. And, to also avoid inconveniencing fellow passengers, the airport reminds of the liquid rules for hand luggage and that water fountains are available after security check to fill empty water bottles.
