Brussels Airlines reports bumper summer 2025, adding 5 A320neos to short-haul fleet
Brussels Airlines, the Belgian national carrier, enjoyed a bumper summer season in 2025, carrying over just under two million passengers. On the back of strong demand for its services, the carrier said that it would also be adding five new Airbus A320neos to its fleet, to supplement its existing short-haul capacity.
In a statement issued on 28 August, the airline reported that it transported over 1.9 million passengers between July and August and successfully performed 13,000 separate flights. This figure represents an increase of 12% over the same period in 2024.
The busiest week for the airline was from 21 July to 27 July, when the airline carried 235,000 passengers on 1,500 flights. The Tomorrowland festival (which took place in the Belgian city of Antwerp and was attended by 400,000 people) contributed to the total.
Additional fleet capacity in 2025
The summer’s peak travel season was assisted by the airline having additional capacity this summer over last. The airline operated a fleet of 50 aircraft over the summer, compared to 44 aircraft in the summer of 2024.
Brussels Airlines added its fifth new A320neo to its fleet earlier in 2025, as well as an additional A330-300 aircraft, which has allowed the airline to expand its network and increase frequencies on key routes across Europe and on those heading further afield.
Where did Belgians travel in summer 2025?
According to the airline, destinations in Spain remained the top holiday destination for those travelling out of Belgium on the airline’s services. Italy and Portugal followed Spain, while demand for travel to some cooler destinations is also on the rise.
Earlier in August, Brussels Airlines reported that it had noted an increasing demand for destinations with lower temperatures in the summer months.
The airline said that it transported 12% more passengers to Scandinavia, compared to 2024. In cooperation with travel agency Nordic, Brussels Airlines added Evenes (Norway) to its network, as well as flights to Edinburgh (Scotland) and Bilbao (Spain) to satisfy those looking for cultural experiences away from the summer sun.
The airline’s top ten list of destinations as travelled by the Belgian public in 2025 was:
- Malaga
- Barcelona
- Geneva
- Lisbon
- Porto
- Nice
- Rome
- Alicante
- Berlin
- Copenhagen
Brussels Airport bag drop expansion boosts performance
Besides adding six more aircraft to the fleet, the airline said that the doubling of the bag-drop area at Brussels Airport had significantly boosted its performance this summer.
According to the carrier, “Due to this initiative, the airline could reduce waiting time for passengers checking in and dropping their luggage, despite higher passenger numbers.
More passengers opted for self-service counters after checking in online: over 170,000 bags were checked in via this system. The record day was 28 July, with over 4,000 bags being checked in via the bag drop.”
Punctuality takes a hit in 2025
While Brussels Airlines is clearly delighted with how it performed overall this summer, one area that will concern the carrier will be its on-time punctuality, which declined in 2025 over 2024.
However, the airline insists that this was for reasons largely outside of its control. External factors included air traffic control (ATC) strikes in France and Italy. In June, ATC-related delays in France increased by 115% year-on-year.
“Overall, we can look back on a very successful summer,” said Filip Aerts, Chief Operating Officer, Brussels Airlines. “First and foremost, I want to thank all our employees who worked hard during these busy months, ensuring our passengers could enjoy their holidays.”
“Brussels Airlines is a healthy, growing company, and we are proud of what we have accomplished together. We will debrief thoroughly with our teams to identify areas for even further improvement and continue strengthening the trust our passengers place in us.”
Modernising its fleet to meet rising demand
As demand continues to rise for its services, the airline has announced its intention to add five new Airbus A320neo aircraft to its fleet, bringing the total number of this model within the carrier’s fleet to 13 overall.
The airline currently operates five of the type, with three yet to be delivered to the carrier from a previous order placed in 2022. The carrier received its first A320neo at the end of 2023, with the fifth example arriving with the company in April of this year. The remaining three from the original order are due to be delivered “in the coming months.”
The additional five aircraft are scheduled for delivery from 2027, pending approval from the airline’s board of directors. Four of the five newly ordered aircraft will replace older planes, while one will be used for fleet expansion. Each Airbus A320neo will seat 180 passengers in a single-class configuration.
“This significant investment reflects Brussels Airlines’ ambition to reduce its ecological footprint, enhance passenger comfort, and pursue sustainable growth,” the company said in a statement.
The airline is also preparing to expand its long-haul fleet of Airbus A330s to thirteen aircraft and to introduce upgraded cabins across its intercontinental network from 2027.
According to ch-aviation, the carrier’s fleet consists of 14 Airbus A319s, 16 A320s, five A320neos, 11 widebody A330-300s. Brussels Airlines also wet-leased four Airbus A220s from airBaltic to service the peak 2025 summer season.
The airline currently serves 106 routes and flies to 91 destinations across 41 countries.
