Liège Airport handled 1,032,283 tonnes of cargo in the first nine months of 2026, exceeding one million tonnes by the end of September as export growth offset weaker small-parcel traffic. Throughput rose 7.3% from the 961,640 tonnes recorded a year earlier, while exports increased 18.5% to 453,265 tonnes.
Third-quarter cargo volumes were broadly unchanged at 334,467 tonnes, compared with 334,950 tonnes in the same period of 2025. Aircraft movements fell 6% to 6,826, from 7,261, following the introduction in July of a €3 charge on imported parcels valued below €150.
Liège Airport reported that small-parcel volumes dropped 42% after the charge took effect, reducing the number of flights serving e-commerce traffic. Despite the quarterly decline in movements, activity for the first nine months remained stable at 21,180 movements, compared with 21,153 a year earlier.
Chief executive Laurent Jossart linked the results to the resilience and diversification of the cargo hub, with exports and other freight segments compensating for part of the e-commerce slowdown.