Over 1 million passengers expected at Brussel Airport this Christmas

Brussels Airport expects to handle a record number of passengers this Christmas vacation. According to the airport in Zaventem, that number would fly above the million for the first time. The start of the vacation, Friday, December 20th, will be the busiest day with 72,000 passengers, according to the airport. This will involve some 40,000 departing travelers.

The previous record dates to the Christmas vacations in 2019, just before the Covid-19 pandemic paralyzed air traffic worldwide. The airport welcomed 988,000 passengers then. In the upcoming Christmas vacations, between Friday, December 20th, and Sunday, January 5th, Brussels Airport expects more than 1 million passengers. Last year, it was still 850,000 people.

At Brussels Airport, airlines will operate 142 direct connections worldwide this winter, including new destinations such as Bangkok, Curaçao, and Tromsø.

More than 450,000 passengers at Charleroi Airport

Charleroi Airport expects to receive more than 450,000 passengers during the Christmas holidays, 8% more than the same period last year (415,000). Due to the crowds, Brussels South Charleroi Airport calls on passengers to arrive at the airport at least three hours before departure.

There are 100 direct connections at the Hainaut airport.

Fewer direct trains to and from Brussels Airport

Vacationers wishing to travel to Brussels Airport by train in early 2025 should take note. Between January and early March 2025, Brussels Airport-Zaventem station will only be accessible via the north side of the rail tunnel because the rail infrastructure around the airport is undergoing major renovation. As a result, there will be fewer direct trains to and from Brussels Airport.

Travelers from Antwerp, Bruges, Brussels, Ghent, and the European quarter in Brussels can still take a direct train, although to a more limited extent. Travelers from Namur, Hasselt, Leuven, and Liège will have to change trains in Brussels North or can take the train to Zaventem (Dorp/Village), where they can change to bus lines R26 and 82 to the airport.