Last year 18.516 million passengers passed through Brussels Airport at Zaventem. The figure is 3.6% up on the year. In 2007 17.877 million people used the airport.

For a second year in a row Brussels Airport has outperformed growth figures at most other large and medium-sized European airports.

Brussels Airport shone particularly during the first half of the year.

Passenger number at the airport shot up as a result of the success of a number of new long haul flights operated by low cost carriers.

During the second half of the year passenger numbers plummeted.

The number of freight flights fell as a result of the departure of the courier company DHL which switched its operations to Germany.

(flandersnews.be/Expatica)