Meet The Winners: Brussels Airport

Brussels Airport (BRU) is set to reach a new post-pandemic record of 24 million passengers this year, offering flights to and from 185 destinations with 65 airlines. It continues to see strong growth despite competition from other European hub airports with a similar catchment area.

In 2024 so far, BRU has secured eight new airlines, including Norwegian, Wizz Air, Singapore Airlines, flynas, and Juneyao Air. The airport also expanded its route network with Air Canada’s 4X-weekly service to Toronto; Singapore Airlines’ return to Brussels; Hainan Airlines’ new Shanghai service; and the resumption of Brussels Airlines' flights to Nairobi after a nine-year hiatus.

Connectivity to the Middle East and Asia has also increased over the past year, with Royal Jordanian resuming flights from Amman in October 2023, followed by the launch of Jeddah-Brussels service in December. Looking ahead, TUI fly Belgium will launch flights to Curaçao in November 2024, and Thai Airways will resume its Bangkok route in December.

Closer to home, BRU has added several European routes, including Bergen and Tromsø in Norway, Krakow in Poland, Seville in Spain, Bari in Italy, and Monastir in Tunisia.

Speaking at Routes World 2024 in Bahrain, Léon Verhallen, Director of Aviation Development at BRU, emphasized the airport’s focus on filling gaps across Europe and expanding long-haul connectivity to destinations in North America, South America, and Asia, targeting cities including Boston and Philadelphia in the U.S.; São Paulo in Brazil; New Delhi in India; and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.

Another development on the radar for BRU is further expanding its network to Africa. With strong traditional links to Africa and close cooperation with its North American partners, BRU hopes to initiate enhanced connectivity between the continents.

Reflecting on the Routes World award win in the Over 20 Million Passenger category, Verhallen said: “We were delighted and very proud. It is such a great feeling to know the airlines saw consistency in our approach combined with new innovations in route development, market segmentation, market development and the way we support our partners.”