All segments recorded growth last year, but belly cargo in particular has shown a sharp recovery compared to 2016: this was up by 13.8%. Integrator services also enjoyed a strong growth in 2017 of 9.7% compared to 2016. The full cargo segment showed a slight increase of 3%, thanks to an excellent first quarter and good volumes in November and December.
“This 3% growth follows an increase of almost 15% last year compared to 2015. So despite some noise issues we had in the second quarter resulting in a few airlines leaving the airport, we are very pleased to see that growth picked up again by the end of the year, still resulting in an overall growth in this segment”, commented Steven Polmans, Head of Cargo and Logistics at the airport.
When looked at in more detail, export volumes in the main drove this growth, with an increase of almost 16%. “We have seen a remarkable increase in our volumes, especially to the Far East and South America, supported by a strong performance of the European and Belgian economy”, added Polmans.
Another impressive figure has been the growth in pharmaceuticals at the airport. Last year, Brussels airport recorded an increase of 18% in the transportation of flown pharmaceutical products compared to 2016. This sharp rise confirms the leading position of the airport as transport specialist for pharmaceutical products.
