Brussels Airport (BRU)
Brussels Airport (BRU) is a human-scale airport north-east of Brussels, on 1,245 hectares, with three runways. Flights to Schengen countries depart from Gate A and flights outside the Schengen zone depart from Gates B and T. Six direct trains an hour reach the city, with 18 minutes to Brussels-Central. Kids Play Zones sit at Gates A and B.
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Updated 22 October 2026
The gates at Brussels Airport
Brussels Airport's own departures page says that flights to Schengen countries depart from Gate A, while flights to destinations outside the Schengen zone depart from Gates B and T. The airport lies on the territory of Zaventem, Machelen, Steenokkerzeel and Kortenberg, north-east of Brussels, on 1,245 hectares, and it has three runways: 07R/25L, 07L/25R and 01/19.
The operator calls Brussels Airport a human-scale airport and says it wants to be a compact version of Belgium, with more than a thousand employees at Brussels Airport Company working on it every day. The airport publishes its own map of the terminals, the gates and the shops, and its check-in page explains that the information screens in the departures hall show which counter is assigned to your flight.
Airlines at Brussels Airport
The airport's own contacts page for airlines and handlers lists every carrier that works at Brussels Airport with the company that handles it. The list includes AEGEAN, Aer Lingus, Air Algerie, Air Arabia Maroc, Air Canada, Air China, Air Congo, Air Europa, Air Senegal, Air Serbia, Air Transat, AirBaltic, Ajet, All Nippon Airways, Austrian Airlines and British Airways, and the handlers named on the same table are Aviapartner and Alyzia.
Getting to and from Brussels Airport
The railway station is directly under the terminal. Six direct trains run every hour, from early morning until around midnight: about 11 minutes to Brussels-North, 18 minutes to Brussels-Central and 23 minutes to Brussels-South, and two trains an hour also connect the airport with the European Quarter.
The airport says it is easily reached by bus, train, intercity buses and taxi, and that someone can drop you off at the free drop-off area. If you drive and have no parking space booked, it asks you to follow the signs and the instructions of the airport staff and to arrive 30 minutes earlier than planned.
Brussels Airport with children
The airport has Kids Play Zones at Gates A and B, after security, where the children can climb and play. The airport's own guide for families says those zones are also the place to change a baby in peace.
In the Play & Care areas everything a parent needs is provided: a microwave for baby food, a high chair and a changing table, and you can also change your baby in most of the toilets. The same guide explains that collapsible pushchairs are often allowed in the hold and are marked before they are placed there, that non-folding models must usually be checked in at the counter, and that the airport keeps a page of its own for unaccompanied minors.
Plan your stop at Brussels Airport
Most airlines let you check in online from 24 to 48 hours before departure, and the airport has self-service kiosks on both sides of the large central information screen in the departures hall. If you travel with hand luggage only you can go straight to security; with checked baggage, the check-in page explains the drop-off options step by step.
Check the airport's own site before you travel, because the airlines and the gates change, and ask the embassy or the consulate of every country on your route which documents your family needs to enter it.
Sources
- Official page of Brussels Airport Company, the operator of the airport, on departures and connections: it says that flights to Schengen countries depart from Gate A and that flights to destinations outside the Schengen zone depart from Gates B and T, and it explains the transfers at the airport. — brusselsairport.be (checked 22 October 2026)
- Official page of Brussels Airport Company on the airlines and the handlers of the airport: the table of the carriers that work there with the company that handles each one, from AEGEAN, Aer Lingus, Air Algerie, Air Arabia Maroc, Air Canada, Air China, Air Congo, Air Europa, Air Senegal, Air Serbia, Air Transat, AirBaltic, Ajet, All Nippon Airways, Austrian Airlines and British Airways, with Aviapartner and Alyzia as the handlers. — brusselsairport.be (checked 22 October 2026)
- Official page of Brussels Airport Company on the train: the station directly under the terminal, the six direct trains an hour from early morning until around midnight, the about 11 minutes to Brussels-North, the 18 minutes to Brussels-Central and the 23 minutes to Brussels-South, and the two trains an hour to the European Quarter. — brusselsairport.be (checked 22 October 2026)
- Official page of Brussels Airport Company on travelling with children: the Kids Play Zones at Gates A and B, the Play & Care areas with a microwave for baby food, a high chair and a changing table, the changing facilities in most of the toilets, the rules for pushchairs and the page for unaccompanied minors. — brusselsairport.be (checked 22 October 2026)
- Official page of Brussels Airport Company on the airport infrastructure: the airport is on the territory of Zaventem, Machelen, Steenokkerzeel and Kortenberg, north-east of Brussels, on 1,245 hectares, and it has three runways, 07R/25L, 07L/25R and 01/19. — brusselsairport.be (checked 22 October 2026)
Frequently asked questions
How many terminals does Brussels Airport have?
The airport's own departures page names the departure areas it works with: flights to Schengen countries depart from Gate A, and flights to destinations outside the Schengen zone depart from Gates B and T.
Which airlines fly from Brussels Airport?
The airport's contacts page for airlines and handlers lists every carrier that works there with the company that handles it: AEGEAN, Aer Lingus, Air Algerie, Air Arabia Maroc, Air Canada, Air China, Air Congo, Air Europa, Air Senegal, Air Serbia, Air Transat, AirBaltic, Ajet, All Nippon Airways, Austrian Airlines and British Airways, with Aviapartner and Alyzia as the handlers.
How do I get from Brussels Airport to Brussels by train?
The railway station is directly under the terminal. Six direct trains run every hour from early morning until around midnight, and the journey takes about 11 minutes to Brussels-North, 18 minutes to Brussels-Central and 23 minutes to Brussels-South.
What does Brussels Airport offer for children?
Kids Play Zones at Gates A and B, after security, and the Play & Care areas with a microwave for baby food, a high chair and a changing table. You can also change your baby in most of the toilets, and the airport publishes a page of its own for unaccompanied minors.
How early should I arrive at Brussels Airport?
The airport asks you to arrive 30 minutes earlier than planned if you drive and have no parking space booked. Most airlines open online check-in 24 to 48 hours before departure, and there are self-service kiosks in the departures hall for the rest.