Charleroi Airport

About Charleroi Airport

Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL), commonly called Charleroi Airport, is Belgium’s second-busiest airport by passenger numbers and the country’s main base for low-cost carriers, chiefly Ryanair. It sits about 7 km south of Charleroi and around 46 km south of Brussels, and the “Brussels South” branding reflects who most passengers are actually travelling to: the Brussels-Capital Region, not Charleroi itself.

The airport operates from two terminals sharing one building, connected by a walk of under five minutes; Terminal 1 handles the bulk of scheduled traffic year-round, with Terminal 2 opened in 2017 to add capacity during peak periods.

Getting from Charleroi Airport to Brussels and Charleroi

A pre-booked transfer to central Brussels takes around 55 to 60 minutes via the E19 and E420 motorways, longer at weekday rush hour. Charleroi’s own centre, with its UNESCO-listed belfry, is a much shorter run at around 15 minutes. A shuttle bus also connects the airport to Brussels-Midi station, but for a family, a group with luggage, or an early or late Ryanair flight, a private transfer collecting you at the terminal is more predictable than a shared coach running to a fixed timetable.

Terminals and pickup points

Charleroi Airport’s two terminals share a single building, so there is no separate building to search for on arrival. Pre-booked transfer drivers wait in the arrivals hall with a name sign confirmed in your booking.

Common transfer routes from Charleroi Airport

Typical routes from CRL include:

• CRL to central Brussels, around 55 to 60 minutes.
• CRL to Charleroi city centre, around 15 minutes.
• CRL to Mons, around 40 minutes.
• CRL to Namur, around 45 minutes.

Because most CRL passengers are actually travelling to or from Brussels rather than Charleroi itself, a direct transfer through to a Brussels hotel is the single most commonly booked route from this airport.

Booking your Charleroi Airport transfer

Compare licensed Belgian operators on this site for any CRL route. You get one fixed price up front, 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.

Ryanair’s schedule concentrates arrivals into a few busy waves each day, so booking a vehicle a few hours ahead is usually enough, though reserving further in advance is sensible around school-holiday weekends.