Belgium has become the third-largest country in the European Union by air cargo volume in 2025, surpassing several major member states, according to figures published today by the Belgian statistical office Statbel.
The office said that more than 2 million tonnes of goods and mail passed through Belgian airports last year, representing an increase of approximately 13% compared with 2024.
Belgium ranked third in Europe, behind Germany, which topped the list with 4.8 million tonnes, and France, which came second with 2.2 million tonnes, ahead of the Netherlands with 1.4 million tonnes, Spain with 1.3 million tonnes, and Italy with 1.2 million tonnes.
Statbel noted that this performance is attributable primarily to the high level of activity at Liège Airport and the BRUcargo air freight centre at Brussels Airport.
In the passenger transport sector, Belgian airports also set a new record in 2025, with just over 36 million passengers passing through, an increase of 3.6% compared with the previous year, surpassing the pre-COVID-19 pandemic record set in 2019 of 35.5 million passengers.
Belgium thereby ranked twelfth among EU member states in terms of passenger traffic. Across the European Union as a whole, the number of passengers travelling through airports exceeded the 1 billion mark in 2025, with Spain, Germany, Italy, and France recording the highest passenger air traffic figures.