Brussels Charleroi airport targets 10 million ppa by 2025

Brussels South Charleroi Airport (BSCA) is aiming to handle 10 million passengers per annum by 2025. Most European airports that are attuned to handling budget carriers only, even on the fringes of large conurbations, count themselves lucky to put 1-2 million passengers through each year.

BSCA has benefitted enormously from the decision by Ryanair in 2000 to make it that carrier's first-ever international base, and also from the vast army of international public sector workers in Brussels (as well as attendant lobbyists and journalists) - it is estimated that there are 70,000 international workers domiciled in Brussels.

Twenty years after Ryanair declared BSCA to be its first international base it is pertinent to examine which other airports that are primarily LCC bases or are major airports served by LCCs in Europe have achieved five million annual passengers and which might achieve 10 million ppa.

This report examines how the Belgian airport has achieved its success and also other such airports in Europe - they are few in number - that can claim to have matched or bettered that success.