During the third quarter of 2026, Liege Airport handled 334,467 tons of freight, a figure virtually identical to that recorded during the same period in 2025 (334,950 tons). At the same time, the number of aircraft movements stood at 6,826, compared with 7,261 in the third quarter of 2025, representing a 6 per cent decrease.

This fall in movements is mainly due to the introduction, on 1 July 2026, of the €3 tax on imported parcels valued at less than €150. Since its introduction, volumes of small parcels have fallen by 42 per cent, directly affecting part of the e-commercerelated business and reducing the number of flights dedicated to this segment.

However, an analysis of the first nine months of the year demonstrates the strength of Liege Airport’s business model and its ability to absorb regulatory changes in the market.

From January to September 2026, the airport recorded 21,180 aircraft movements, compared with 21,153 over the same period in 2025. Despite the impact observed in the third quarter, air traffic therefore remains perfectly stable over the financial year as a whole at this stage. Even more remarkable is that the tonnage of goods transported now stands at 1,032,283 tons at the end of the first nine months of 2026 (compared with 961,640 tons for the same period in 2025). Liege Airport thus crossed the symbolic milestone of one million tons of cargo by the end of September, representing a 7.3 per cent increase compared with the previous year.

This growth is driven in particular by strong export performance. Between January and September 2026, exports totalled 453,265 tonnes, compared with 382,299 tonnes a year earlier – an increase of 18.5 per cent.

“The sluggish growth in the third quarter reflects the immediate impact of the new tax regime applied to small parcels. However, when we look at the results since the
start of the year, we can see that the airport continues to grow. We are recording stable traffic in terms of the number of movements, have passed the one-millionton mark and are seeing particularly strong growth in exports. These results demonstrate the resilience of our hub and the diversification of our cargo operations,” emphasises Laurent Jossart, CEO of Liege Airport.