Brussels Airport (BRU) handled 24.4 million travellers in 2025, 275,000 fewer than it would have served had seven nationwide trade-union strikes not paralysed the country’s airspace, the airport’s annual traffic report shows. The stoppages triggered the cancellation of 2,400 flights and an estimated €175 million in lost revenue for airlines, handlers and the airport operator.
Although passenger numbers rose 3.3 % year-on-year, the figure remains almost two million below the 2019 pre-pandemic peak of 26.4 million. Management emphasised that BRU nonetheless set a record for load factor, averaging 145 passengers per flight—a sign that demand is robust once operations run normally.
Amid such operational uncertainty, travellers often find themselves rearranging itineraries at short notice. VisaHQ (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) can ease that scramble by streamlining visa processing for Belgium and 200-plus other destinations, helping passengers secure or adjust travel documents quickly when they must reroute via Amsterdam, Paris or farther afield.
![Strikes wiped out 275,000 passengers at Brussels Airport in 2025, management reveals]()
For multinational companies using Brussels as a regional hub, the data underscore the operational risk posed by Belgium’s highly mobilised labour landscape. Several firms told The Brussels Times they now build “strike buffers” into travel policies, booking flexible fares or routing travellers through Amsterdam and Paris on known strike days.
The airport’s report also highlights silver linings: three new airlines—Cathay Pacific, Air Senegal and Smartwings—launched services, and six destinations were added, improving long-haul connectivity to Asia and West Africa. Cargo volumes grew modestly, helped by pharma exports.
Airport CEO Arnaud Feist called on unions and the federal government to develop a minimum-service framework similar to France’s, which forces a skeleton operation to run during industrial action. Business-aviation groups echoed that plea, warning that recurring walkouts damage Belgium’s reputation as a reliable corporate gateway.
Although passenger numbers rose 3.3 % year-on-year, the figure remains almost two million below the 2019 pre-pandemic peak of 26.4 million. Management emphasised that BRU nonetheless set a record for load factor, averaging 145 passengers per flight—a sign that demand is robust once operations run normally.
Amid such operational uncertainty, travellers often find themselves rearranging itineraries at short notice. VisaHQ (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) can ease that scramble by streamlining visa processing for Belgium and 200-plus other destinations, helping passengers secure or adjust travel documents quickly when they must reroute via Amsterdam, Paris or farther afield.
For multinational companies using Brussels as a regional hub, the data underscore the operational risk posed by Belgium’s highly mobilised labour landscape. Several firms told The Brussels Times they now build “strike buffers” into travel policies, booking flexible fares or routing travellers through Amsterdam and Paris on known strike days.
The airport’s report also highlights silver linings: three new airlines—Cathay Pacific, Air Senegal and Smartwings—launched services, and six destinations were added, improving long-haul connectivity to Asia and West Africa. Cargo volumes grew modestly, helped by pharma exports.
Airport CEO Arnaud Feist called on unions and the federal government to develop a minimum-service framework similar to France’s, which forces a skeleton operation to run during industrial action. Business-aviation groups echoed that plea, warning that recurring walkouts damage Belgium’s reputation as a reliable corporate gateway.
