Brussels Airport

About Brussels Airport

Brussels Airport (BRU) at Zaventem is Belgium’s principal international gateway, handling the great majority of the country’s scheduled and charter traffic from a single terminal building about 12 km northeast of the city centre. The terminal is split into a Schengen pier and a non-Schengen pier, joined by a connector building added as passenger numbers grew, so arriving and departing passengers never need to change buildings.

Brussels Airlines anchors the airport as its home carrier, alongside a wide network of European and long-haul scheduled and charter flights. A separate hub, Brussels South Charleroi (CRL), sits about 55 km south and serves mainly low-cost carriers; it is a distinct airport with its own transfer booking, not a second terminal of BRU.

Getting from Brussels Airport to Brussels

A pre-booked transfer to the centre takes around 20 minutes via the E40/A201, longer at weekday rush hour. A direct train link also runs to Brussels-Central in about 20 minutes, but for groups with luggage, families, or an early or late flight, a private transfer waiting at the terminal is usually simpler than navigating the station with bags.

Terminals and pickup points

Brussels Airport’s single terminal is organised as follows:

• Schengen pier (Pier A): flights within the EU’s Schengen area.
• Non-Schengen pier (Pier B): flights to and from outside the Schengen area, including the UK and long-haul.
• Connector: links both piers post-security, with shared arrivals below.

Pre-booked transfer drivers wait in the arrivals hall with a name sign, confirmed in your booking, regardless of which pier your flight used.

Common transfer routes from Brussels Airport

Typical routes from BRU include:

• BRU to Grand-Place and the city centre, around 20 minutes.
• BRU to the European Quarter (Schuman), around 20 to 25 minutes.
• BRU to Bruges, around 1 hour 10 minutes.
• BRU to Ghent, around 45 minutes.
• BRU to Antwerp, around 40 minutes.
• BRU to Leuven, around 20 minutes.

Business travellers flying in for EU meetings commonly book a transfer straight to a hotel near Schuman, while leisure visitors often add Bruges or Ghent as a same-day or next-day return trip.

Booking your Brussels Airport transfer

Compare licensed Belgian operators on this site for any BRU route. You see one fixed price covering luggage and tolls, with meet-and-greet at the terminal, flight tracking and free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup. Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Alipay, iDEAL, Wero and PayPal are all accepted.

Bookings can be made up to a few hours before pickup when capacity allows, though reserving 24 to 48 hours ahead is recommended for early-morning departures, when demand for the first wave of European flights is highest.