Brussels Airport records busiest day in over five years

With 92,000 passengers, Monday 28 July was the busiest day of the year so far at Brussels Airport in Zaventem. It marked not only the highest single-day traffic at the airport in 2025, but also the busiest day since the COVID-19 pandemic.

For some sectors, including construction, Monday marked the start of the summer break. For others, it meant the end of their holidays, translating into an estimated 48,000 departing passengers and 44,000 arrivals converging at Zaventem.

Monday also followed the final weekend of Tomorrowland, the world-renowned electronic music festival held in Boom. The festival welcomed around 400,000 ticket holders over two weekends (18–20 July and 25–27 July). According to the festival’s organisers, around half of the attendees came from abroad, representing over 200 countries. Many of them had booked their return flights for Monday.

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Inside the terminal, Brussels Airport hosted multiple live DJ sets between the Connector and Pier A on 22 and 29 July, in collaboration with the festival, turning the airport into a mini festival.

The Tomorrowland DJ set at the airport was a particular favourite among travellers, with many sharing videos and praising the initiative. ‘Somebody gonna miss the flight today… #brusselsairport’, tweeted one user on X, while another posted, ’A cheeky lil set before the flight home. Love the energy at Brussels airport…’

Brussels Airport is steadily approaching pre-COVID traffic levels. In 2019, more than 5.3 million passengers passed through Zaventem over the summer, with peak days reaching 95,000 travellers, setting a record of 98,076 on Monday 29 July.

This year, the airport expects to welcome 5.1 million travellers in July and August. In preparation for the summer rush, it has ramped up its services by doubling the number of staff at security and passport control, opening an expanded information desk in the departures hall, increasing bag-drop capacity and adding new rest and food areas.

‘The most important thing is to arrive at the airport on time. There is no need to arrive early’, said Brussels Airport spokesperson Ihsane Chioua Lekhli.

To help travellers plan accordingly, Brussels Airport provides tailored guidance on a dedicated webpage, indicating how far in advance to arrive based on the flight date and destination.

Other timeless advice still applies, such as pre-booking parking if you are arriving by car and checking that you are not packing any prohibited items in your luggage, which could delay the security process – or worse, result in your favourite perfume or newly bought set of kitchen knives being confiscated at the border.

When Zaventem reaches peak capacity, the pressure is felt across Belgium’s transport system, from overcrowded trains to congested roads.

Nevertheless, last year’s busiest day went smoothly, and by the time of publication, no major incidents had been reported this year either. One traveller told Le Soir that there were long queues at security, but that the feared chaos never materialised. Airport logistics and crowd management were commended once again.