Brussels Airport Guide

Brussels Airport sits in Zaventem, Flemish Brabant, 12 kilometres northeast of Brussels city centre. The airport was inaugurated for civil operations on 5 July 1958 and has grown into Belgium's main international gateway, serving 23.6 million passengers in 2024. Three runways handle around 198,600 aircraft movements per year. A direct rail link connects the terminal to Brussels-Central and other Belgian cities in under 20 minutes.

The airport operates on a single-terminal concept: one roof covers check-in, departures, and arrivals. Two piers branch from the central Connector — Pier A for Schengen and selected African routes, Pier B for non-Schengen international flights. Brussels Airlines holds roughly 40% of seat capacity and uses BRU as its primary base, operating routes across Africa, Europe, and North America as a Lufthansa Group carrier. TUI fly Belgium, easyJet, Ryanair, and Vueling are among the other significant operators.

Brussels Airport is Europe's largest pharmaceutical cargo hub, with the most temperature-controlled warehouse space of any airport on the continent. Total cargo volume reached 733,000 tonnes in 2024. The airport is owned by Brussels Airport Company, with shares held by the Flemish Government, the Belgian Federal Government, and Macquarie Group.