Major Belgian air cargo hubs Brussels Airport, Liege Airport and Ostend-Bruges are teaming up to exchange customs declarations to make import and export processes more efficient.
When launched, the new tie-up will see cargo companies at Brussels and Liege airports submit their Temporary Storage Declarations digitally via a new portal on their airport’s community data platforms.
This means companies will be able to uniformly exchange customs declarations for import, export, and transit with Belgian customs.
The platforms will also each be separately connected to electronic customs systems for further processing and follow-up of declarations, while the customs office’s counter notification is then sent back to the companies via the portal.
The project is coordinated by Air Cargo Belgium, which represents the interests of cargo companies at Brussels Airport and Liege. Ostend-Bruges is also joining the initiative.
“The standardised approach not only leads to more efficient customs processes, but also strengthens Belgium’s position as a logistics hub for international trade,” the airports said in a press release.
“Indeed, one uniform way of working across different airports will make it even easier and more attractive for foreign companies to import and export through Belgian airports.”
In the coming months, the digital portal will be further developed and is expected to be operational before the end of 2026.
Brussels Airport chief executive Arnaud Feist said: “The development of this new digital integration is fully in line with our strategy to further strengthen the efficiency of air cargo operations through innovative and digital solutions.
“At the same time, we are contributing to a unified approach at the Belgian level, making Brussels Airport and our country even more interesting as a logistics hub for international trade.”
Liege Airport’s chief executive, Laurent Jossart, added: “This collaboration reflects our shared ambition to strengthen Belgium’s position as a leading European logistics hub.
“At Liege Airport, we strongly believe in digital innovation and seamless cooperation across the cargo ecosystem to improve transparency, efficiency, and compliance in international trade flows.
The move comes as the European Union transitions to an electronic customs environment, as set out in the union’s Multi-Annual Strategic Plan for electronic Customs (MASP-C).
Within the framework of MASP-C, cargo companies will be able to smoothly follow the further digitalisation of customs processes at the European level through their airport’s community platforms.
