Liege Airport had an excellent year in 2025, with freight volumes increasing by 14% compared to 2024, reaching 1,324,579 tons. This is the strongest growth among the 10 largest European cargo airports. The trend is also upwards for cargo aircraft movements, with the airport recording 28,822 movements in its core business (+6%).

December confirmed the upward trend in volumes, with 119,742 tons passing through the airport (up 16% from 103,217 tons in December 2024). Cargo aircraft movements also increased in December 2025, with 2,536 movements (a 7% increase compared to 2,380 movements in December 2024).

For the full year, the number of aircraft movements was 36,979 (stable compared to 2024 with 37,029 movements). Cargo aircraft got the biggest slice of the pie with 28,822 movements, representing a 6% increase compared to 2024 (27,184 movements). The breakdown between daytime flights (65.5%) and night-time flights (34.5%) confirms the shift that has been underway for the past four years (in 2020, night-time flights still accounted for 59%).

Liege Airport reached 1,324,579 tonnes (compared to 1,162,935 tonnes in 2024). This is the airport’s second-best performance in its entire history. In ten years, tonnage has more than doubled.

In terms of passenger transport, Liege Airport recorded a 14.5% decrease with 138,352 passengers (compared to 161,936 passengers in 2024). “This is a challenge for 2026 because, following the cessation of TUI’s activities, we no longer have any recurring destinations to offer. Passenger transport accounts for barely 1.5% of our revenue and is not a financial issue for Liege Airport. However, it is a service to the inhabitants of Liege region that is particularly close to our hearts. Our sales team is working on it,” explains Torsten Wefers, VP Sales and Marketing of Liege Airport.

Very good performance but full of challenges
For the airport’s core business of freight, 2025 confirmed the robustness of the business model: “Performance is very good, with volume growth exceeding 30% over the last two years. The largest airline accounts for 13% of the volumes handled at the airport, the second largest accounts for 10%, and the third and fourth largest accounts for 9%. This balanced distribution makes our airport resilient,” adds Torsten Wefers.

“The diversification of the airline portfolio continues, with 56 airline customers at Liege Airport at the end of 2025, compared with 40 at the end of 2023!

The same is true for logistics companies, with an even more marked increase: 62 operators in 2025 compared with 37 in 2023! As a result of the fast-growing forwarder basis, the export tonnage grew by 11%. Our goal is to climb onto the podium of European airports for freight and consolidate our position as a provider of sustainable and multimodal logistics solutions.”

Confirming the airport’s leading role in international logistics, new destinations have been added to the network: Bogota, Sao Paulo, Mexico City, Chicago O’Hare, Oakland, Toronto Hamilton, Nanjing, Chongqing, Mumbai, Taipei, and Ostrava.

However, there is no cause for euphoria, as 2026 promises to be full of challenges: “We will face major challenges with a European tax on e-commerce parcels applicable from 1 July 2026, which could have a significant impact on this segment of air freight, as well as a tense and volatile international geopolitical situation directly and rapidly affecting logistics chains. Caution and further diversification will be required. Consequently, we will have a strong focus on the further development of our pharma, perishable and high-tech volumes.”