Belgium’s air traffic control surpasses one million flights in 2025

Tuesday 11 August 2026 - 09:55

By: Azzat Manal

Belgium’s air traffic control surpasses one million flights in 2025

Belgium’s air navigation service provider Skeyes handled more than one million flights in 2025, marking the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic that air traffic managed by the organization has reached this level.

According to Skeyes’ latest annual report, air traffic controllers managed a total of 1,035,084 flights during the year, equivalent to an average of around 2,740 flights per day. The figure covers aircraft flying over Belgian airspace within the organization’s area of responsibility, as well as flights arriving at and departing from Belgian airports.

The number of flights increased by approximately 4% compared with 2024, reflecting the continued recovery of European aviation. Despite this growth, however, traffic remains below pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, Skeyes handled around 1.1 million flights, meaning that 2025 activity was still about 5% lower than the level recorded before the health crisis.

A significant share of Belgium’s air traffic was managed from Canac 2, Skeyes’ air traffic control center in Steenokkerzeel, Flanders. More than 606,000 flights were handled at the facility during 2025.

Canac 2 is responsible for controlling aircraft flying over Belgium or approaching Belgian airspace up to an altitude of approximately 7,500 meters, or 24,500 feet. Its role makes it a key component of the country’s air traffic management system.

Airport control towers represent another important part of Skeyes’ operations. Controllers working in these facilities manage aircraft in the immediate vicinity of airports, including takeoffs, landings and movements on taxiways.

Brussels Airport remained the busiest location within the network, with controllers managing more than 204,000 flights during 2025. Skeyes also oversees air traffic serving several other Belgian airports, including Antwerp, Charleroi, Kortrijk, Liège and Ostend.

The latest figures underline the continued recovery of Belgium’s aviation sector after the sharp disruption caused by the pandemic. Although traffic has not yet fully returned to 2019 levels, the steady increase recorded in recent years points to a gradual normalization of air travel and growing demand for air transport.

The return to more than one million managed flights also highlights the importance of efficient air traffic control infrastructure as Belgium handles increasing volumes of domestic, European and international aviation.