Mobility

In 2024, Brussels Airport welcomed more than 23 million travelers. And some travelers sometimes forget or lose their belongings in the airport terminal in Zaventem.

In 2024, as many as 27,185 items were left behind at Brussels Airport. These were mainly clothing, identity documents, jewelry, laptops, unchecked baggage and wallets. But smartphones, keys and toys are also often lost. Even larger items such as strollers, djembés and a television set were forgotten. 

But what happens to all these forgotten items?
“About one-fourth of lost items eventually return to their owners. Most of them end up with the right person within as little as two weeks,” Brussels Airlines reports to local tv channel RingTv.

Much of the forgotten items that go unclaimed then go to charities. For example, the airport works with the Center for General Welfare to donate abandoned clothing to the homeless. Electronic devices that are not picked up are donated to the non-profit organization Close The Gap, which donates used electronics to social, medical and educational initiatives. Large unopened containers and liquids that do not pass security screening, such as shampoo, deodorant and beverage containers, go to local PCSWs. “The remaining uncollected items, which can include lottery tickets, waist belts and eyeglasses, are processed and sold through an auction house,” the airport reveals.

(FVDV for Tagtik/Source: RingTv/Illustration picture: Pixabay