Brussels airfreight volumes up 23% in September

Total trucked and flown cargo volumes at Brussels Airport soared 23% in September over the same month last year to nearly 70,000 tons, an upward trend expected to continue as the peak season looms.

September’s total cargo increase was 37.1% when compared with pre-Covid volumes in the same month of 2019.

The number of full cargo flights at Brussels in September, at 1,868 movements, was a rise of nearly 14% compared to last year. The proportion of cargo-only passenger flights remained stable in September.

Full freighter volumes were nearly 22,000 tons in September, up 25% on 2020 and by 135.9% oh the same month in 2019.

An airport spokesperson for the Belgian hub said: “In the full cargo segment, Brussels Airport again saw growth with almost all existing customers. New routes, from Asia in particular, are contributing to this growth. Asia remains the most significant region, followed by North America and Africa.”

Integrator volumes were around 24,500 tonnes in Septmber, a rise of 6.2% on last year and 42.1% on 2019, suggesting the impact of e-commerce growth.

Bellyhold cargo volumes for the same month were 9,600 tons, up 52.3% on September last year but down by 25.6% on 2019. Trucked cargo in September was 13,900 tons, a 40.1% surge on 2020’s throughput and up by 20.4% on 2019.

The airport spokesperson added: “Total cargo volumes continued to grow in September, a trend that is expected to continue in the coming months, thanks to strong demand for air cargo capacity.”

The transport of Covid-19 vaccines to and from Brussels Airport continues, with over 350m vaccines handled at the airport to date.

Currently, Brussels Airport also accommodates many vaccine flights to African countries thanks to the donations of vaccines from European Union Member States via the COVAX platform.