Brussels Airport, 9 March 2018

Brussels Airport Company will be investing EUR 100 million in ultramodern logistics buildings. This investment will further strengthen the crucial position of Brussels Airport as the 2nd most important logistics cluster in our country, serving the top players in the aviation industry, including Kuehne + Nagel, Swissport, Dnata and Brinks, and many hundreds of other companies.

Today, more than a hundred different players in the logistics chain are already active at Brucargo, the cargo area of Brussels Airport. In this way, Brucargo offers Belgium a crucial platform for the import and export of many companies and is, after the Port of Antwerp, the 2nd most important logistics hub for international trade. The area is a crucial engine for economic growth in our country, not least because of its exceptional central location between all important industrial centres. Brussels Airport Company will be making large investments in the coming period to further strengthen Brucargo.

“These investments are of huge importance for the logistics landscape in Belgium and are entirely in line with our Strategic Vision for 2040. With these investments, Brussels Airport will remain in the future a crucial hub for air transport and the logistic chains in Europe, at the service of many hundreds of companies in our country,” explains Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport Company. “It is also a strategic objective to offer more and in particularly even better support to the many companies who work through air cargo transport and enabling them to more easily import and export their goods from and to the whole world. This not only ensures employment at the airport itself, but also in various other sectors in all parts of the country.”

In recent years (between 2009 and 2013), three large air cargo buildings have been developed. Today, companies such as bpost, DHL GLOBAL Forwarding, Abbott and a number of specialised logistics companies make use of them.
In the coming 3 years, Brussels Airport will invest in total EUR 100 million in the development of ultramodern logistics buildings, which will be used by leading companies in the industry.

In addition, considerable investment will be made in the construction of state-of-the-art new build. Brussels Airport Company will be investing in a building of no less than 50,000m2 on the West Side of Brucargo, for 4 different companies. Kuehne + Nagel, Dnata and WFS will be among the companies making use of these buildings for shipping, packaging and temporarily stocking cargo. The new infrastructure is also specifically suited for the handling of high-quality and temperature-sensitive products (such as pharmaceuticals), products for which Brucargo is already recognised as one of the best airports in the world. In this way, Brucargo further supports a number of key sectors in our country, such as the many large pharmaceutical companies.

Brussels Airport will also redevelop existing handling buildings that have direct access to the tarmac. The building in which handling agent Swissport is active shall, in the coming 3 years, be systematically transformed into a modern and energy-efficient storage and office space. In total, it will have a surface area of 30,000m².

An additional new building will provide a secured area for the specific transport of extremely valuable goods. Brinks will be moving into this building in 2019. In addition, Brussels Airport Company is investing in an exclusive inspection area of more than 2000m², fitted out in various temperature and/or light areas, for the temporary accommodation and the shipment of various types of animals.

About Brussels Airport
Brussels Airport, with 24.8 million passengers and 535,634 tons of freight transport per year, is one of the most important airports in Europe. Brussels Airport connects the European capital with 238 destinations. 76 airlines are active at the airport (figures 2017). Brussels Airport meets the specific requirements of business travellers and holidaymakers for both European and long-haul flights, and also offers the greatest choice of low-fare destinations from Belgium. The airport is the second most important economic growth pool in Belgium, accounting for 60,000 direct and indirect jobs. Brussels Airport is managed by the Brussels Airport Company. The shareholders are the Belgian State (25%) and a consortium of private investors (75%).

Press Office: Brussels Airport Company – Corporate Communications – Tel. + 32 2 753 53 53
Florence Muls, External Communications Manager: 32 (2)753 43 20 – florence.muls@brusselsairport.be
Anke Fransen, Media Relations Manager : +32 2 753 43 95 – anke.fransen@brusselsairport.be
www.brusselsairport.be