More than 2.6 million passengers crossed the tarmac at Charleroi airport in 2020, a 69% drop compared with 2019.

Charleroi, 15 January 2021 – Brussels South Charleroi Airport welcomed 2,558,046 passengers during 2020. This represents a 69% fall in traveller numbers compared with 2019, which was a record year. The Covid-19 crisis, with its impact on the aviation sector, reduced the volume of traffic throughout 2020, despite a promising start to 2020, with 9% growth compared with the end of February 2019.

“However, 2020 got off to a flying start!”points out Philippe Verdonck, CEO of Brussels South Charleroi Airport, “boding well, before it was disrupted by the unprecedented health crisis, imposing huge challenges on the aviation sector and drastically reducing our activity”. With our teams, we have demonstrated real flexibility when it comes to welcoming our passengers in accordance with the health measures in force and in a totally safe environment.

In 2020, 2,558,046 passengers crossed the tarmac at Charleroi Airport, a fall of 69%.

During the summer season (July-August), numbers reached 35% of the 2019 figure. After that, the second wave of Covid-19 affected air traffic, and unfortunately the number of travellers fell to 15% during November.

With the Christmas holidays, December attracted a few more passengers than previous weeks. 124,559 passengers passed through Charleroi airport, 20% of the 2019 figure. Spain was the most popular destination, followed by Morocco, France, Italy and Portugal. 

When it came to commercial flights, the airport recorded a 65% reduction in December. Across the whole of 2020, this reduction represented 45% compared with 2019.

The aviation industry as a whole has been significantly affected by the Covid-19 crisis. Charleroi airport has experienced a considerable reduction in passenger numbers and reduced financial revenue. In order to deal with the difficult situation, Charleroi airport has used the partial furlough scheme for the majority of its staff. However, the Brussels South Charleroi Airport team is still highly motivated and committed to helping its passengers.

The speedy introduction of health measures and the process of making the “passenger journey” through the airport safe have been, and remain, priorities for our teams.

In 2021, Brussels South Charleroi Airport will be celebrating its 30th anniversary and will continue to uphold its commitments in terms of safety, service and hospitality for its passengers.

As Philippe Verdonck, CEO of Brussels South Charleroi Airport explains: “This year marks an anniversary for BSCA, and a significant one at that: 30 years: we have been here for 30 years, 30 years of a remarkable success story for Wallonia, thanks to contributions from everyone, from the Government, the Board of Directors, institutions, our partners, our employees and our passengers.
As well as this anniversary, we will also be celebrating the inauguration of our runway extension, the introduction of a sustainable development policy and the development of our esplanade, as well as the future border control building. There are lots of projects in the pipeline, and the airport continues to grow. We’re working on it.”

If you have any questions about safety measures, how we are dealing with travellers and to prepare for your trip, Brussels South Charleroi Airport’s website is updated on a regular basis. It is available at http://www.brussels-charleroi-airport.com.

You can also read the full COVID-19 plan at https://www.brussels-charleroi-airport.com/en/FAQ-COVID19