Belgian airports join hands to digitise cargo customs systems together

Brussels Airport, Liege Airport and Ostend-Bruges Airport are aligning their approach to a new digital support system for cargo companies’ customs processes, allowing companies to uniformly exchange customs declarations for import, export and transit with Belgian customs through the airports’ community platforms. The initiative is being coordinated by Air Cargo Belgium in collaboration with LGG Connect and is expected to be operational before the end of 2026.

Under the initiative, the airports will adopt the same principles and interfaces on their individual platforms to support the digital exchange of customs declarations. The unified approach is aimed at simplifying customs procedures and strengthening Belgium’s position as a logistics hub for international trade. Development and rollout of the approach will take place in the coming months.

At present, air cargo companies still exchange part of their electronic customs messages with Customs and Excise through the Paperless Customs and Excise system. At the same time, the transition to MASP-C, the European multi-annual strategic plan for customs modernisation, has begun. Through airport community platforms, cargo companies will be able to follow the continued digitalisation of customs processes at the European level.

Air cargo companies will also be able to submit Temporary Storage Declarations digitally through new portals on airport data platforms, including BRUCloud at Brussels Airport and LGG Tracking at Liege Airport. Both platforms will function in the same way for exchanging customs messages and will be separately linked to electronic customs systems for the processing and follow-up of declarations. Notifications from customs offices will then be returned to companies through the portal.

The standardised approach is expected to improve the efficiency of customs processes while creating a uniform way of working across Belgian airports, making import and export operations easier for international cargo companies.

The collaboration marks a joint effort between Brussels Airport, Liege Airport and Ostend-Bruges Airport, described as a unique cooperation within Belgian aviation. The project is coordinated by Air Cargo Belgium, representing cargo companies at Brussels Airport, together with LGG Connect.

“Brussels Airport has been committed to the digitalisation of cargo processes for years. The development of this new digital integration is fully in line with our strategy to further strengthen the efficiency of air cargo operations through innovative and digital solutions. At the same time, we are contributing to a unified approach at the Belgian level, making Brussels Airport and our country even more interesting as a logistics hub for international trade,” said Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport.

“Thanks to its unique relationship with our operational stakeholders, Air Cargo Belgium enjoys the full confidence of both the General Administration of Customs & Excise and our members. Our recent accession to the National Forum Steering Committee at the AAD&A confirms this mandate. This builds upon the cooperation agreement of 2023 and the MoU signed with handlers in 2024, each time focusing on uniform, digital customs development for the entire air cargo sector,” said Freek De Witte, Director at Air Cargo Belgium.

“This collaboration reflects our shared ambition to strengthen Belgium’s position as a leading European logistics hub. At Liege Airport, we strongly believe in digital innovation and seamless cooperation across the cargo ecosystem to improve transparency, efficiency and compliance in international trade flows. This joint initiative is a concrete step towards more efficient, transparent and digitally enabled cargo operations across Belgium,” said Laurent Jossart, CEO of Liege Airport.