Brussels Airport expects record passenger numbers during Easter holiday rush

Brussels Airport expects an exceptionally busy Easter holiday rush. The first weekend of the Easter holidays promises to be busy and the same goes for the working days preceding it.

The airport authority has listed a few tips for a carefree start of your plane trip.

These are the expected numbers of departing* passengers for the busiest days:

Wednesday 2 April: 33,500
Thursday 3 April: 34,500
Friday 4 April: 38,000
Saturday 5 April: 33,500
Sunday 6 April: 39,000
Monday 7 April: 37,000
Tuesday 8 April: 32,600

The number of arriving passengers is usually comparable to the number of departing passengers.

At the end of the month of April, in the run-up to the 1 May holiday, we expect another few peak days. The planning for both Friday 25 April and Sunday 27 April already shows 38,000 departing passengers.

The airport disposes of an advanced planning tool to forecast the number of departing passengers. The tool uses the number of known flight bookings and weighs it against historical data and a set of variables. It is important that the forecast should be as precise as possible as it helps our various partners and services to draw up a detailed staff planning, from the staff in the coffee bars to the agents at the security screening.

Although the airport capacity is calculated to handle large passenger numbers, it can be very busy at peak hours. Passengers are advised to come to the airport well ahead of their scheduled departure time, especially when they are leaving in the morning. The EU recommends passengers to arrive at check-in three hours in advance of their departure time for intercontinental flights, two hours in advance for intra-European flights.

Brussels Airport would like to remind passengers of the security rules regarding liquids and gels. Liquids are only allowed into the cabin under very strict conditions. Detailed information is available on the Brussels Airport website.

Bottled or canned drinks may be carried in the hold baggage, but are not allowed into the hand baggage. Personal care products in containers of more than 100 ml (sun creams, shampoo, toothpaste shaving cream…) are often overlooked by passengers when they are packing their hand baggage for a short holiday. During previous holidays on average 400 to 500 liters of products that are not allowed into the cabin had to be confiscated.

Exceptions apply to liquid medicines and baby food, as well as to liquids purchased in the tax-free shops at the airport. Europe recently eased the rules for passengers travelling to a European airport from outside the European Union, but for passengers departing from our country the same restrictions apply as before.

The airport authority also listed a few practical tips for the holiday rush:

• Check the expiry date of your passport and visa
• Remember that children too need to have an identity card or passport
• Check the weight and volume of your hold and cabin baggage. Keep to the baggage restrictions mentioned on your ticket.
• Watch out for pickpockets in busy places such as airports, trains stations and markets.
• Take special care when travelling with children: walkalators, escalators and trolleys are not intended to be used as toys
• Major construction works at the airport may cause some nuisance. Brussels Airport apologises for the inconvenience.
• Over the past few months, part of the airport was given a thorough makeover. Check the offer of the new restaurants and bars!
• Since early March passengers can call in the help of the Airport Crew. A team of 20 specialised colleagues will help them find their way around the terminal and guide them to get through security faster (remove laptops from their case, rules regarding ‘liquids and gels’ …).
• The passenger pick-up and drop-off area is located in front of the departures hall. Cars may not be left unattended, not even for a few minutes. Drivers who wish to accompany the people they drop off in the terminal are requested to park in one of the car parks opposite the terminal.

The airport website gives an overview of the parking rates that apply in the different car parks and provides an online booking tool. Early booking is recommended especially for the cheaper parking formulas. The discount car park at Brucargo is already receiving bookings for the summer vacation.

The start of the Easter period will not go unnoticed. Extensive Easter decorations and a large offer of chocolate articles and activities in cooperation with the major chocolate confectioners stress the fact that nowhere in the world more chocolate is sold under one roof than at Brussels Airport. Especially during the Easter and Christmas periods, chocolate sales are breaking records.

During the Easter holidays, sunny destinations and city trips are particularly popular. For details and trends we gladly refer to the press services of the airlines in question, including Brussels Airlines, JetairFly and Thomas Cook Airline