Amsterdam Airport Schiphol recorded a 7.6% year-on-year increase in cargo volumes in September, reaching 127,750 tonnes, while Brussels Airport reported continued growth driven largely by a sharp rise in road-fed air freight.
The latest figures highlight contrasting developments across major European cargo hubs, with Schiphol benefiting from stronger export activity and Brussels recording significant growth in trucked cargo. Liège Airport, meanwhile, reported broadly stable third-quarter throughput amid a sharp decline in small-parcel volumes following the introduction of a new European Union import charge.
Schiphol exports lead the recovery
At Schiphol, exports increased by 12.5% year on year to almost 62,000 tonnes in September. The improvement was supported by stronger traffic to Africa, the Far East and destinations within Europe.
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Imports rose by a more modest 3.4%. Shipments associated with Africa and other European destinations increased, while cargo flows linked to Latin America recorded particularly strong growth, rising by almost 44%.
The airport also recorded approximately 1,400 all-cargo flight movements during the month, an increase of more than 11% compared with September 2025.
The September performance extended Schiphol’s positive trend for the year to date. Between January and September, total cargo volumes increased by 9.6% year on year, with imports rising by 10.4% and exports growing by 8.8%.
The results point to continued strength in Schiphol’s international cargo network, supported by growth across both inbound and outbound flows.
Brussels growth driven by trucked freight
Brussels Airport also reported higher cargo volumes in September, handling 70,257 tonnes, up 6.8% compared with the same month last year, according to the airport’s official traffic figures.
Trucked cargo was the main driver of growth, surging by 37.2%. Flown cargo volumes increased by 2.5%, supported by an 11.4% rise in freight carried on passenger aircraft. However, volumes handled by full-freighter operators declined by 1.1%, while integrator traffic edged down by 0.2%.
For the first nine months of 2026, Brussels Airport handled more than 627,000 tonnes of cargo, an increase of 8.1% year on year.
The figures underline the growing contribution of road feeder services to the airport’s overall cargo performance, even as growth in freight carried directly by air remains more moderate.
Liège feels impact of small-parcel charge
Liège Airport’s third-quarter performance was comparatively subdued. The airport handled 334,467 tonnes of cargo during the quarter, marginally below the 334,950 tonnes recorded in the same period of 2025.
Aircraft movements fell by 6% year on year to 6,826, according to the airport’s official announcement published on 14 October.
The airport attributed the decline in movements primarily to the introduction on 1 July 2026 of a €3 charge on imported parcels valued below €150. Since the measure took effect, small-parcel volumes have fallen by 42%, affecting e-commerce-related operations and reducing the number of flights dedicated to this segment.
Despite the third-quarter slowdown, Liège’s broader performance remained positive. During the first nine months of 2026, the airport handled 1,032,283 tonnes of cargo, up 7.3% compared with the same period last year. Export volumes rose by 18.5% to 453,265 tonnes, helping offset weakness in small-parcel traffic.
The latest results illustrate the differing factors shaping Europe’s air cargo market. Stronger export flows are supporting growth at Schiphol, road feeder traffic is boosting Brussels, while changes affecting low-value e-commerce shipments are weighing on flight activity at Liège.
