South Brussels Charleroi Airport (CRL) is to the south of the Belgian capital in the French-speaking Wallonia region of Belgium. Charleroi Airport is popular with low-cost airlines such as Ryanair and Wizz Air. Passengers using South Brussels Charleroi Airport generally have to trade off the convenience of Brussels Airport (BRU) just outside the city in Zanventem for lower ticket prices on cheap flights to various European destinations.
- South Brussels Charleroi Airport is an accurate name but travelers inexperienced with European low-cost airline habits should note that the south in the name refers to almost 50 km (30 miles) south of the Belgian capital.
Most flights from South Brussels Charleroi Airport go to holiday destinations in sunnier climates. However, many tourists will also find useful cheap flights to destinations not easily reached by high-speed trains from Brussels. Some popular West European destinations including London, Paris, Cologne, and Amsterdam are better reached by high-speed trains.
- A new terminal building opened in 2008 at Charleroi Airport and is presently only being used to about half its full capacity of five million passengers per year.
Cheap Flights to South Brussels Charleroi Airport (CRL) on Low-Cost Airline Ryanair
Irish budget-airline Ryanair is the largest operator at South Brussels Charleroi Airport. Charleroi was Ryanair’s first continental European hub and despite a sometimes turbulent relationship between the airline, airport, and European competition officials, Charleroi is still an important hub for Ryanair.
Ryanair currently flies from South Brussels Charleroi Airport to Alghero, Alicante, Barcelona-Girona, Bergerac, Bologna, Bratislava, Cagliari, Carcassonne, Dublin, Faro, Fez, Gdansk, Glasgow-Prestwick, Grenoble (winter only), Limoges, Madrid, Málaga, Manchester, Marrakech, Marseille, Milan, Montpellier, Nîmes, Pau, Perpignan, Pisa, Porto, Riga, Rome-Ciampino, Shannon, Tangier, Trapani, Trieste, Turin (winter only), Valencia, Valladolid, Venice-Treviso, Wroclaw, and Zaragoza.
- London is notably absent from the destinations served by Ryanair, or indeed any airline from Charleroi. Competition from Eurostar trains made the once important London to Brussels route unfeasible both in terms of price and required travel time.
Cheap Flights to South Brussels Charleroi Airport (CRL) on Low-Cost Airline Wizz Air
East European budget airline Wizz Air is frequently found at regional airports also used by Ryanair and it no surprise that this low-cost airline flies to Charleroi rather than to Brussels Airport (BRU). Wizz Air has flights from South Brussels Charleroi Airport to Bucharest-Baneasa, Budapest, Katowice, Sofia, and Warsaw.
Cheap Flights to South Brussels Charleroi Airport (CRL) on Other Low-Cost Airlines
Further flights available on scheduled airlines from South Brussels Charleroi Airport go mainly to Mediterranean holiday destinations.
- Jet4you flies to Casablanca, Nador, Oujda.
- Jetairfly flies to Casablanca, Djerba, Gran Canaries, Monastir, Nador, and Tenerife-South.
- On Air flies to Pescara.
Although further from the Belgian capital than Brussels Airport (BRU), South Brussels Charleroi Airport (CRL) has easy transportation links to downtown Brussels and other parts of Belgium. Direct buses are available to Brussels South train station, Charleroi train station, Bruges, and Lille (France).
Henk Bekker - Henk Bekker is a freelance travel writer currently living on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland.
Join the Conversation