Morocco Airspace Closure Impacts Brussels Airport Traffic, January Passenger Numbers Down 52% from Pre-Pandemic Levels

Despite the negative impact of the closure of air borders, reopened on February 7, Brussels Airport welcomed 800,518 passengers in January, including 436,935 vacationers returning from holidays and 363,583 people who flew to other skies. This attendance is up 183% compared to January 2021, the airport said. Compared to January 2019 (before the health crisis), this number represents a 52% drop.

In addition to the closure of airspace, the tightening of travel restrictions and the introduction of test requirements, sometimes even for people vaccinated against the coronavirus due to the worsening of the epidemiological situation in Europe at the end of 2021 and the surge in contamination due to the Omicron variant, are all factors that have also had a negative impact on the entire month, the airport points out.