Liege Airport cargo volumes rise 7.3% as exports surge
Cargo volumes rose 7.3% in the first nine months of 2026, driven by an 18.5% increase in exports despite a decline in e-commerce parcel traffic.
Liege Airport handled 1,032,283 tonnes of cargo between January and September 2026, marking a 7.3% increase from 961,640 tonnes recorded during the same period last year, driven primarily by strong export growth.
Exports rose 18.5% year-on-year to 453,265 tonnes in the first nine months of 2026, compared with 382,299 tonnes in the corresponding period of 2025. The airport crossed the one-million-tonne cargo milestone by the end of September, highlighting the resilience of its operations amid regulatory changes affecting e-commerce shipments.
Aircraft movements remained broadly stable during the period, reaching 21,180, compared with 21,153 in the first nine months of 2025.
However, the third quarter saw a decline in flight activity. Liege Airport handled 334,467 tonnes of cargo between July and September 2026, marginally below the 334,950 tonnes recorded in the same quarter last year. Aircraft movements fell 6% year-on-year to 6,826, from 7,261.
The decline in aircraft movements was largely attributed to the introduction of a €3 tax on imported parcels valued below €150, which came into effect on 1 July 2026. Since its implementation, small-parcel volumes have fallen 42%, affecting part of the airport's e-commerce business and reducing flights dedicated to this segment.
Despite the impact on third-quarter operations, the airport's performance during the first nine months of the year indicates that overall cargo volumes have continued to grow, supported by stronger exports.
Laurent Jossart, CEO of Liege Airport, said, “The sluggish growth in the third quarter reflects the immediate consequences of the new tax applied to small parcels. But when we look at the results since the beginning of the year, we can see that the airport continues to grow. We recorded stable traffic in terms of the number of movements, passed the million tonne mark and posted particularly strong growth in exports. These results demonstrate the resilience of our platform and the diversification of our cargo activities.”