Brussels Airport’s freight volumes fell by 2.1 per cent in February to 52,169 tonnes compared to the same month in 2017 as the national air strike on 13 February negatively impacted the sector by an estimated five per cent.
The Belgian gateway said had it not been for the strike, February would have been a good month for the segment, particularly given the downward trend which the sector is seeing in recent months across Europe.
Despite the strike, belly cargo increased by 6.6 per cent to 11.797 tonnes compared to February 2018 due to the new long-haul routes that were launched in 2018. Trucked air freight rose by 13.1 per cent to 15,614 tonnes.
Cargo on freighter flights dropped by 13.2 per cent to 9,799 tonnes compared to the same period last year while integrator services too recorded a decrease in volume of 12.5 per cent to 14,958 tonnes.
In the first two months of 2019, freight at Brussels Airport is down 2.6 per cent to 107,199 tonnes. In January and February 2018, the airport processed 110,113 tonnes. Freighter traffic is down 8.8 per cent and the integrator is down 8.8 per cent in the period.
