Liege Airport Outperforms Global Market with Strong Start to 2025
Liege Airport has kicked off 2025 on a high note, processing 296,188 tonnes of cargo in the first quarter—marking a 5.6% year-on-year increase and positioning the Belgian hub well ahead of global air cargo growth, which stood at just 3% over the same period (WorldACD).
Cargo flight activity also saw an upward trend, with 6,772 freighter movements in Q1, up 6.2% compared to last year. March proved particularly strong, delivering 111,160 tonnes of freight and 2,389 cargo flights, both showing over 6% year-on-year growth.
These figures further solidify Liege’s status as one of Europe’s leading all-cargo airports, with growing demand for perishables, pharmaceuticals, e-commerce shipments, and humanitarian cargo.
Despite geopolitical and economic headwinds—including rising U.S. tariffs and the end of duty-free access for select Chinese and Hong Kong goods—Liege Airport has remained resilient. Notably, exports to North America surged by 42% in Q1, largely fuelled by rising transit volumes from Asia and Turkey.
However, U.S. imports to Liege fell by 12%, reflecting broader signs of economic softness and weaker European demand.
Airport officials remain cautiously optimistic, noting that while flight operations remain stable, ongoing trade uncertainty and geopolitical shifts could still impact flows in the coming quarters.