Brussels Airlines expects almost 300,000 passengers during the end-of-year holidays

Friday was already the busiest day of the Christmas holidays, with more than 24,000 passengers. The second busiest day of the New Year period is Friday, December 29, with more than 21,000 passengers. “People clearly want to be with their family or at their destination during the holidays, because Sunday, December 24 and Sunday, December 31 are the quietest days of the Christmas holidays, with 11,000 and 10,000 passengers respectively,” the airline reports.

People clearly want to be with their family or at their destination for the holidays

Rome is the most popular destination for people departing from Brussels, followed by Malaga, Barcelona and Vienna.

Nearly 68,000 people take a long-haul flight. This is numerically a minority, but the occupancy rate of long-haul flights is higher than average, at 87.2 percent. New York is the most popular long-haul destination.

Turbulent years
Brussels Airlines will announce its full-year results for 2023 in March, but the airline can already confirm that positive results are expected. This marks the end of three financially turbulent years for Brussels Airlines.

A historic moment for Brussels Airlines in 2023 is undoubtedly the arrival of the Airbus A320neo. This is the first aircraft of this type in the airline’s fleet, but also the very first time that Brussels Airlines has been able to take delivery of a completely new aircraft. A second A320neo has also been added to the fleet.

Brussels Airlines was also able to invest in a better product for passengers, with the renewed Sunrise Lounge, upgraded meals in Business Class on the European network, new amenity kits and Michaël Vrijmoed as star chef for Brussels Airlines.

Looking ahead to 2024
The new year starts with the presentation of a new uniform for all flying personnel and airport employees. At the end of March, Brussels Airlines will add Krakow (Poland) back to the network and in June, thanks to an additional long-distance aircraft, flights to Nairobi in Kenya will start. Three additional A320neos are also expected in the Brussels Airlines fleet in 2024.