Brussels Airport growth driven by freighter traffic

Brussels Airport has seen cargo volumes increase by 1.6 per cent in September to 39,533 tonnes, with rises in freighter cargo making up for falls in bellyhold.

Freighter cargo rose by 6.5 per cent in September to 28,273 tonnes with full freighter volumes increasing by 8.2 per cent to 11,169 tonnes, helped by Ethiopian Airlines services. Integrator volumes rose by 5.5 per cent to 17,104 tonnes. Bellyhold volumes fell by 8.9 per cent to 11,261 tonnes.

Brussels Airport says: “Same as most other European airports, belly transport at Brussels Airport  saw a 8.9 per cent fall by comparison with September 2014. For the full-cargo segment, we are seeing a sharp 8.2 per cent rise year-on-year.”

It continues: “This sees Brussels Airport  as an exception to the general downward trend of air cargo traffic in Europe. Around half of this growth is to be attributed to the new cargo of Ethiopian Airlines.”

Ethiopian Airlines started four times a week services from Addis Ababa to Brussels in January and Qatar Airways launched twice-weekly Airbus A330 Freighter flights in the same month as part of its Pharma Express between Brussels and Basel (Switzerland).

Japanese carrier, All Nippon Airways will start daily services between Brussels and Tokyo’s Narita International Airport on 25 October. The airline will use a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, leaving Brussels at 2050 hours and arriving in Tokyo at 1610 hours the next day. The return flight will leave Tokyo at 1115 hours and arrive in Brussels at 1515 hours.