Destinations, flights, and services at Bruxelles National Zaventem airport

Brussels Airport published a positive report for the first six months of 2026. Brussels Airport saw passenger traffic grow despite several operational disruptions. Strikes and the situation in the Middle East did not prevent activity from remaining on a positive trajectory.

For travellers, this result confirms that a wide range of destinations and flights departing from Brussels remains available. The airport remains a major departure point for journeys within Europe and to international destinations. This stability is helpful for passengers seeking more destination and connection options.

The first half of 2026 also shows that Brussels Airport continues to rank among Europe’s major airports. Even amid a disrupted environment, the hub continues to attract high traffic volumes. For travellers, this mainly means that the flight offering remains extensive and the airport is still well connected.

Thanks to AI-assisted tomography technology, security officers obtain a highly detailed three-dimensional image of the contents of passengers’ baggage. This advanced analytical capability makes it possible to detect prohibited items more effectively without asking passengers to remove laptops, tablets or bottles of liquid.

This modernisation brings the Belgian airport closer to the standards implemented at several major European hubs. The objective is twofold: to strengthen security while reducing queues, particularly during periods of heavy passenger traffic.

For business travellers and families alike, streamlining the screening process represents a valuable time saving. Handling is minimised, the risk of forgetting personal belongings is reduced and passing through security becomes faster.

In the long term, the widespread adoption of this equipment could permanently transform the airport experience in Europe. While the rules governing the transport of liquids in cabin baggage during a flight remain subject to current regulations, the new generations of scanners are paving the way for smoother, smarter screening procedures better suited to the growth in air traffic.

Brussels Airport is showing its continued growth by inaugurating 2 new routes this winter. Hainan Airlines will operate the new air connection to Chongqing in China with 3 Brussels–Chongqing flights per week from 22 November, further strengthening its connectivity in Asia with a total of 8 direct destinations. As part of its efforts to diversify leisure options, winter sports enthusiasts will benefit from a new weekly TUI fly flight to Scandinavian Mountains Airport, serving the Sälen resorts in Sweden and Trysil in Norway from 20 December. Alongside these long-haul and leisure developments, the European network is welcoming Czech low-cost airline Smartwings, which has inaugurated its route to Prague with 12 weekly Brussels–Prague flights. Finally, even before the winter peak, the airport expects to welcome more than 1.2 million passengers during the autumn holidays, an increase in traffic that highlights the return of confidence among travellers.