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Investing in runway infrastructure to seize growth opportunities
In the decades ahead, there are enormous growth opportunities for Brussels Airport and our economy. More people will go on holiday by air, more people will travel for business and more products will be transported worldwide by air.
According to the prognoses, the number of passengers and the cargo volume at Brussels Airport will double, but with fewer aircraft movements than in 2000, thanks to larger aircraft that are also quieter. The passenger load factor is also expected to increase further.
Brussels Airport, as hub airport, is already attracting the latest generation of aircraft, such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350. These silent, fuel-efficient aircraft can connect Brussels, without a stop-over, to a large part of the world.
The current use of the existing runways will no longer be able to satisfy the growing demand in the future during peak hours1 at the airport.
Peak hours are hours during which passengers, and therefore also airlines, wish to depart or arrive. To travel between two airports, or to transfer to another flight.
During these peak hours, generally in the morning and in the late afternoon, Brussels Airport does not have sufficient capacity to satisfy the future demands of airlines and passengers.
For this reason, runway usage must be optimised and from 2020, changes to the infrastructure are necessary so that the airport can meet this demand in 2025.
As airport operator, it is our job to guarantee runway capacity and make timely investments in order to satisfy the demands of passengers and airlines2.
Gradual capacity increase to 93 movements per hour
According to our calculations, under all weather conditions, 84 movements per hour will be required by 2025 and 93 movements per hour by 2040 in order to meet the market demand. These calculations are based on the predicted average European growth.
At the moment, the capacity is 74 movements per hour. Brussels Airport wants to increase this capacity in two stages.
Brussels Airport wants to increase its runway capacity to offer our passengers and companies improved connectivity with the rest of the world.The airport wishes to achieve this capacity increase through a balanced approach whereby the needs of the economic stakeholders as well as the interests of the people living nearby are taken into account. For this reason, the airport is entering into a broad dialogue with all parties concerned.
View the interactive 2D maps to see how Brussels Airport Company’s Strategic Vision translates itself tangibly into a phased adaptation of the infrastructure.
1 Peak capacity is the maximum number of aircraft movements per hour, taking into account the configuration of the runways.
2 Royal Decree 21/06/2004, art. 4