Brussels Airport saw air cargo throughput soar in January amid increases in freighter services and bellyhold cargo.

The main Belgian hub saw a 4% rise in airfreight in January this year, compared with the same period in 2021. The volumes seen were also 10% higher than the level seen in January, 2019 before the pandemic hit.

Brussels Airport recorded a throughput of 60,645 tons last month, buoyed partly by the ongoing disruption to global cargo supply chains.

For 2021, the airport reported air cargo rose 30.6% compared to 2020.

Meanwhile, integrator services at the hub saw a 25% decline after the continued strong growth of recent months and trucked airfreight declined by 8% year-on-year.

Compared to the same period las year, the growth in air cargo was mainly driven by increases seen in the freighter segment which was up 24%, and also a 51% rise in belly cargo as more passenger flights started taking off. 

It said Asia also remained as the hub's most important region, followed by the US in terms of pure volumes.

Meanwhile, Brussels Airport saw full cargo flights increased marginally by 0.9% year-on-year.

"Preighter" flights also declined for the period, although the hub noted that it remains an "important additional connectivity option for destinations such as Brazil, China and Japan."

"The transport of vaccines to and from Brussels Airport continued. In total, since the start of vaccine shipments in November 2020, 900 million vaccines have been transported, confirming more than ever the role of Brussels Airport as the main European pharmaceutical hub," a spokesperson said.

For January, Brussels Airport saw more than 800,000 passengers in January, also mounting 183% year-on-year, although still 52% down compared to the simnilar level seen in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic.