Brussels Airport has seen cargo volumes from January to June 2015 grow by 9.7 per cent year on year (YOY).

The Belgian airport’s traffic has risen by nearly double-digit figures every month this year. In the first six months this year, it handled 244,982 tonnes, compared to the 223,310 for the same six months in 2014.

Cargo on freighter operator services was 72,994 tonnes, an 18.1 per cent rise on the 61,826 from January to June 2014. Integrator cargo was 99,057, a YOY surge of 8.7 per cent. The remainder of 72,891 was bellyhold cargo, an increase of 3.6 per cent.

In June alone, there was a 15.9 per cent YOY increase to 43,187 tonnes, up from 37,262 in June 2014. Cargo on freighter carriers was 13,726 tonnes, a substantial YOY rise of 41.6 per cent on the 9,694 in June last year. Integrator cargo rose YOY by 12.4 per cent to 17,177 tonnes, up on the 15,283 in June 2014. In June, bellyhold cargo was flat and almost the same as June last year at 12,284 tonnes, two tonnes less.

June’s total was the second busiest month for cargo volumes in 2015 at Brussels Airport, but the biggest YOY monthly rise so far.

In May, cargo volumes grew 7.7 per cent YOY to 40,535 tonnes. In April there was a six per cent YOY rise to 41,105. In March there was an 8.2 per cent YOY growth to 43,785 tonnes. In February there was an 11.7 per cent YOY increase to 38,463 and in January there was an uplift of 9.4 per cent to 37,869.

Brussels Airport says the growth in the first half of 2015 has been driven by the arrival in the past 12 months of new freighter airlines: Ethiopian Airlines Cargo, Qatar Airways Cargo, Yangtze River Express and KF Aerospace.

Brussels Airport Company chief executive officer, Arnaud Feist, explains: “The strong growth in cargo recorded over the first six months confirms the growing importance of Brussels Airport as a primary logistics hub in Europe.”