The Real Estate Boom Around Brussels Airport: Offices and Logistics
When we think of Brussels Airport (Zaventem), our minds quickly drift to passenger terminals and duty-free shopping. However, beneath the roar of the jet engines, the airport has quietly evolved into a major real estate location in Belgium. The airport manages a massive portfolio of premium office spaces and state-of-the-art warehouses. It is time to shine a spotlight on how the airport is molding its surroundings into a fully-fledged, easily accessible business center and a cutting-edge logistics stronghold.
Hub 3.0: The Corporate Future and the Airport Tram
Brussels Airport is rapidly transforming into a fully connected economic center. To prepare for expected passenger growth, the airport announced an ambitious €500 million investment plan known as Hub 3.0. This masterplan includes the construction of a new intermodal transport hub, a significant extension of the departure and arrival halls, a new 300-room four-star hotel, and a green boulevard with an urban park. Eventually, an additional office building will also be constructed. This large-scale development is designed to seamlessly blend urban economic activity with the airport's core functions. Maximum emphasis is placed on natural daylight, sustainable materials, and future-proof technologies such as water infiltration, heat pumps, and solar panels.
The exclusive nature of this corporate real estate ecosystem has already attracted an impressive list of international tenants. Within the current "Airport City," major consulting and technology firms such as Deloitte, KPMG, and Microsoft have set up operations in highly sustainable, BREEAM-certified buildings like the Gateway and Passport complexes.
Crucially, this expansion of commercial and passenger real estate goes hand in hand with one of the most significant mobility projects in the region: the Airport Tram (Luchthaventram). To manage commuter flows for the new developments and the surrounding business parks, the Flemish government is investing heavily in a new 12-kilometer tram line. This high-speed connection will transport commuters from Brussels-North to the airport terminal in exactly 30 minutes, directly connecting the office spaces along its route to the Brussels public transit network. The terminus of this future tram line will be located directly within the new intermodal hub.
Contact our consultants for more information on offices for rent in and around the national airport in Zaventem.
Timeline of Hub 3.0 and the Airport Tram Works
Late 2025 to Late 2026: The first phase of the Hub 3.0 project kicks off with the relocation of the current drop-off zone to a new, more spacious location behind the existing Sheraton hotel, separating drop-off traffic from other flows. Concurrently, in March 2026, the first major tram construction phase began with the building of a large tram and bicycle bridge over the Brussels Ring in Machelen. By late 2026, works will start in Zaventem to entirely rebuild the road infrastructure along the Leonardo Da Vincilaan for the actual tram tracks.
2028 to 2030: The new intermodal hub will be completed, with construction starting no earlier than late 2026. Around this time, the most complex phase of the tram project will also begin: digging a dedicated tunnel for trams and buses beneath the A201 highway to bypass heavy surface traffic.
2030 to 2032: The extension of the terminal and the new four-star hotel will be completed, bringing the entire Hub 3.0 project to a close by 2032.
2031: The Airport Tram will officially go into service. This line will directly connect key commercial zones, such as the business parks on Hermeslaan, Culliganlaan, and Da Vincilaan, to the new intermodal hub and the passenger terminal.
BRUcargo: The Logistics Engine
While the offices at the passenger terminal focus on the service sector, the northern side of the airport houses BRUcargo, an immense and highly specialized logistics real estate zone. BRUcargo accommodates over 150 companies and employs about 7,000 people. Operations run around the clock, and the zone serves as one of Europe's premier airport hubs for pharmaceuticals, perishables, and live animals.
To understand the real estate at BRUcargo, it is important to distinguish between first-line and second-line logistics. First-line real estate is the absolute top tier, featuring direct access to the tarmac (airside). In these warehouses, cargo can be unloaded directly from planes and moved to processing centers—vital for temperature-sensitive medicines and express freight. Because space directly on the tarmac is scarce, these properties command the highest rents. Second-line logistics refers to the facilities on the landside, just behind the first line but still within the secure customs perimeter of BRUcargo. Although they lack direct access to the aircraft and trucks or dollies must cross the security boundary, these massive warehouses are crucial for rapid cargo consolidation, sorting, short-term buffer storage, and the complex daily operations of global freight forwarders.
Contact our consultants for more information on warehouses for rent in and around the national airport in Zaventem.
A Hub for Global Logistics Players
On the freight side, BRUcargo is the logistics home base for an impressive array of international top players. As with almost any major airport in the world, you will find the well-known heavyweights of the transport and logistics sector here. The real estate is heavily occupied by major cargo handlers such as Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), Swissport, Aviapartner, and dnata, who manage the crucial first-line facilities. In addition, large freight forwarders and integrators such as Kuehne+Nagel, Expeditors, DSV, and DHL Express have a significant footprint on the site.
What makes the real estate offering at this airport so attractive to these global players is its highly specialized, tailor-made infrastructure. This includes advanced cold storage for temperature-sensitive freight, which is critical for handling pharmaceutical exports. Furthermore, the site attracts aerospace giants with specific, energy-positive facilities. A prime example is Safran Aircraft Engine Services Brussels, which operates a sustainable, CO2-neutral maintenance workshop for the latest generation of aircraft engines right on the airport grounds.
The runways of Brussels Airport are no longer just transit points; they are the central arteries of a massive, self-sustaining economic and logistics city.
