Nearly 12 million passengers in six months: what is driving Brussels Airport's surge?
Brussels Airport handled close to 12 million travellers in the first half of 2026, with the operator crediting new routes for the rise. Here is what the growth means on the ground — and how to move through a busier Zaventem without the stress.
For residents, expats and EU-institution staff, Brussels Airport is the primary link to the rest of Europe and the world. A return to strong passenger growth means fuller flights and busier terminals at peak times, a healthier commercial base that can support more route choice, and — less comfortably — renewed pressure on the long-running dispute over aircraft noise and flight paths around Zaventem.
Brussels Airport (IATA code BRU) is Belgium's largest airport, located in Zaventem in the Flemish province of Vlaams-Brabant, north-east of the capital. It is operated by Brussels Airport Company and serves as the home base of Brussels Airlines, with major operations by carriers including TUI fly and Ryanair. It is distinct from Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL) in Wallonia, which handles most low-cost traffic. The airport is directly connected to the national rail network via Brussels Airport-Zaventem station beneath the terminal (NMBS/SNCB), and by De Lijn and MIVB/STIB bus services.
Background
Air traffic at Zaventem collapsed during the 2020 pandemic and recovered only gradually over subsequent years as airlines rebuilt capacity and passenger confidence returned. The 2026 half-year figure of close to 12 million passengers signals that recovery has matured into genuine expansion. Throughout, the airport's growth has been entangled with a decades-old, court-contested dispute over aircraft noise and the distribution of flight paths across Flanders and the Brussels-Capital Region.
Impact
Regional — The airport sits in Zaventem (Vlaams-Brabant, Flanders) but draws its catchment from Brussels and across the country; rising traffic affects both the Flemish periphery and Brussels-region neighbourhoods under the flight paths, and feeds the unresolved noise and route-allocation dispute between the two regions.
Opposing perspectives
- Airport operator and aviation sector
Brussels Airport Company and the carriers based at Zaventem present the passenger growth as proof of a healthy recovery that supports jobs, connectivity and the Belgian economy, and argue that expanding the route network gives residents and businesses more direct links to Europe and beyond. In this reading, a busier airport is a national asset to be nurtured rather than constrained.
- Residents and municipalities under the flight paths
Community groups and local authorities across the Flemish periphery and Brussels neighbourhoods affected by aircraft noise argue that more passengers ultimately mean more overflights of densely populated areas that have contested the current arrangements for years through the courts. For them, celebratory traffic figures sidestep the unresolved question of how the noise burden is distributed between Flanders and the Brussels-Capital Region.
Sources & evidence
- View sourceLa LibrePrimary· lalibre.be· 15 July 2026Retrieved 15 July 2026· today· Dated
- View sourceBX1· bx1.be· 15 July 2026Retrieved 15 July 2026· today· Dated
- View sourceBrussels Airport (official website)· brusselsairport.beRetrieved 15 July 2026
- View sourceNMBS/SNCB (Belgian Railways)· belgiantrain.beRetrieved 15 July 2026
