From Brussels Airport to the world: Airport Intelligence celebrates 5-year anniversary
Five years ago, Airport Intelligence emerged from the operational heart of Brussels Airport with a simple goal: to package decades of specialised aviation expertise and share it with organisations around the world.
Airport Intelligence officially launched operations in June 2021, during one of the most turbulent periods in aviation history, when the Covid-19 pandemic brought global travel to a near standstill at many hubs worldwide. Amid this uncertainty, the newly formed subsidiary recognised that airports needed to optimise efficiency more than ever.
By converting real-life operations at Brussels Airport into practical tools and methodologies, the team began helping other airports manage fluctuating passenger volumes and increasingly complex regulatory requirements. Belgium’s main airport handles around 26 million passengers annually, placing it among Europe’s 30 busiest airports.
Establishing a global benchmark
The firm’s early milestones focused on optimising the core operations of European airports. Airport Intelligence quickly established a niche in helping facilities design and implement Airport Operations Centres (APOCs).
These centres act as the operational nerve centre of an airport, bringing together airlines, air traffic control, and ground handlers to coordinate safe and efficient passenger journeys. The consultancy has since supported several airports across Europe in establishing and enhancing their own APOCs.
With Brussels Airport operating its own centre since 2015, the team had a strong reference model from which to build. Its work soon expanded to optimisation projects in Stuttgart, Bordeaux, and Milan.
This European momentum culminated in 2024, when the firm co-authored a global APOC guidebook with Airports Council International. The publication quickly became an international reference point, strengthening the consultancy’s reputation as a trusted advisor to the airports sector.
Expanding to international hubs
As its reputation grew, so did the scale of its projects. Airport Intelligence moved beyond European airports to support large-scale international operations.
By the end of 2025, the team had completed a comprehensive modernisation project at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia, a major Southeast Asian hub handling more than 60 million passengers annually. The consulting firm designed a future vision and long-term transformation roadmap for the airport’s coordination centre.
The firm also expanded into the United Kingdom, where Manchester Airports Group commissioned it to lead a major harmonisation programme across three sites: Manchester Airport, London Stansted Airport, and East Midlands Airport. The project focused on aligning operational processes and establishing a unified operating model across all three locations.
A proven approach for the future
Since its inception, Airport Intelligence has supported projects at dozens of airports across Europe and Asia. Its model of transforming hands-on operational experience into standardised advisory solutions has enabled it to compete with traditional management consultancies.
Today, the team is looking beyond aviation. The core methodologies developed through complex airport projects – including the on-time, on-budget renovation of three major runways at Brussels Airport – are increasingly being applied to other high-pressure environments. Airport Intelligence is for example this year introducing its planning and optimisation tools to sectors such as healthcare and live events.
