Brussels Airport has experienced substantial growth in the intercontinental segment over the past few years. According to the business newspaper L’Echo, the share of so-called ‘long-haul’ flights rose by more than 11%.
This growth is the result of a deliberate strategy to strengthen Brussels as an international hub.
From Africa to North and Latin America
In recent years, several meaningful new direct long-haul connections have been added at Brussels Airport. These include Singapore (Singapore Airlines), Shanghai (Hainan Airlines), Nairobi and Kilimanjaro (Brussels Airlines), Bangkok (Thai Airways), and Curaçao (TUI fly).
Last year, Brussels Airport offered flights to 39 long-haul destinations. Sub-Saharan Africa takes the crown with 18 destinations, with Brussels Airlines playing a crucial role as the Africa specialist with the Lufthansa Group. North America accounts for seven destinations, with Atlanta as an added route.
Asia has also 7 destinations, the Gulf region has 4, and Central America and the Caribbean have 3, including, since the end of 2025, the first direct passenger connection to Latin America (São Paulo, Brazil), a historic milestone for the airport.
More profitable
Together, these long-haul connections represent growth of just over 11%, the result of a deliberate strategy to strengthen Brussels as an international hub. Long-haul flights are generally much more profitable and strategically important for an airport than short-haul flights because they simply generate more revenue per aircraft.
Long-haul flights are operated with wide-body aircraft, such as the Airbus A330 or Boeing 787. These are much heavier than the small aircraft used for short flights, which means that the landing fees per operation are much higher.
Moreover, they are highly profitable for the airport because these passenger aircraft also carry substantial cargo in their holds, or belly cargo. Cargo volumes on these flights even increased by more than 20% last year, which is a strong economic incentive for airlines to operate more long-haul flights.
An airport with a strong intercontinental network also attracts “transfer passengers.” This not only makes the airport relevant, but also means these passengers spend more time at the airport than passengers on short flights, which in turn means they spend more on food and beverage, retail, and tax-free shopping.
Not happy with tax increases
In an interview with L’Echo, Arnaud Feist, the airport’s CEO, also discusses the various federal tax increases on airline tickets and even the municipal tax in Charleroi. Faust regrets these increases and fears a decline in the competitiveness of Belgian airports.
“If the federal tax had an environmental purpose, I could understand it,” says Feist. “But it’s simply a way to raise money for the budget.”
It should be noted that the more long-haul flights there are, the faster the airport’s total CO2 emissions rise, even though some are trying to offset this by renewing their fleets or using SAFs. That is why environmental organizations are highly critical of the focus on intercontinental growth.
