Brussels Airport (BRU) saw freight volumes declining by 2.4 per cent in January 2016 compared with last year, as a result of the ongoing impact of the departure of Ethiopian Cargo, which did not obtain the necessary traffic rights for Belgium and ceased operations to the airport in the fourth quarter last year.

The drop in cargo volume transported through Brussels Airport was attributed to the full-freight segment which dropped 11.5 per cent. The airport continues to struggle to recover from the departure of Ethiopian Cargo.

Belly cargo, on the other hand, rose by 3.0 per cent compared with the same period last year, while integrator cargo remained stable compared with January 2015.

In January, Brussels saw a 7.5 per cent rise in passengers year-on-year, to 1.48 million.