A new analysis published on 19 January reveals that a three-day national strike on 26 November effectively capped Brussels Airport’s passenger growth in late 2025. November traffic edged up just 0.1 % year-on-year to 1.76 million travellers, far below forecast, after all departing flights and over half of arrivals were cancelled during the walk-out. An estimated 275,000 passengers were unable to fly, costing the Belgian economy around €175 million.(blog.gettransport.com)
Overall flight movements fell 2.5 %, yet cargo operations painted a contrasting picture: flown freight rose 7 % and total cargo volumes climbed 3 % to almost 70,000 tonnes, buoyed by double-digit growth in full freighter activity and e-commerce integrators. Trucked cargo, however, slid 18 % as forwarders shifted loads to air or diverted via road hubs in neighbouring countries.
To help travellers and corporate mobility teams deal with the administrative fallout of such disruptions, VisaHQ provides an online one-stop shop for Belgian visas and travel documents. Through its portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/), users can secure expedited appointments, monitor application statuses in real time and arrange courier pickups, ensuring staff can re-route quickly when strikes derail original plans.
![Strikes freeze Brussels Airport passenger growth but cargo proves resilient]()
The divergence highlights how labour unrest hits passenger operations harder than freight, whose schedules and crews can be redeployed more flexibly. For shippers, the episode underlines the need for diversified routings and contingency warehousing around European hubs.
For mobility managers the strike data is a reminder that Belgian industrial action often spills over from transport into public services, potentially delaying visa-processing appointments and residence-card pickups. Companies with frequent BRU flyers should monitor union calendars and hold spare visa appointment slots in French or Dutch consulates across the border.
Looking ahead, unions have threatened further walk-outs if wage talks stall in the spring, suggesting that both travel and relocation budgets should incorporate buffer days and emergency accommodation lines.
Overall flight movements fell 2.5 %, yet cargo operations painted a contrasting picture: flown freight rose 7 % and total cargo volumes climbed 3 % to almost 70,000 tonnes, buoyed by double-digit growth in full freighter activity and e-commerce integrators. Trucked cargo, however, slid 18 % as forwarders shifted loads to air or diverted via road hubs in neighbouring countries.
To help travellers and corporate mobility teams deal with the administrative fallout of such disruptions, VisaHQ provides an online one-stop shop for Belgian visas and travel documents. Through its portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/), users can secure expedited appointments, monitor application statuses in real time and arrange courier pickups, ensuring staff can re-route quickly when strikes derail original plans.
The divergence highlights how labour unrest hits passenger operations harder than freight, whose schedules and crews can be redeployed more flexibly. For shippers, the episode underlines the need for diversified routings and contingency warehousing around European hubs.
For mobility managers the strike data is a reminder that Belgian industrial action often spills over from transport into public services, potentially delaying visa-processing appointments and residence-card pickups. Companies with frequent BRU flyers should monitor union calendars and hold spare visa appointment slots in French or Dutch consulates across the border.
Looking ahead, unions have threatened further walk-outs if wage talks stall in the spring, suggesting that both travel and relocation budgets should incorporate buffer days and emergency accommodation lines.
