The train to Brussels Airport
A flight from Brussels Airport? Start your air journey stress-free with the airport train:
- you arrive at the heart of the airport, the station is located under the departures and arrivals hall
- fast and direct travel from many major cities such as Bruxelles-Central (18 min), Anvers (30 min), Gent (58 min), Leuven (15 min), Brugge (1h27), Mons (1h17) or Namur (1h11).
- The Brussels Airport Supplement is included in most tickets to/from the airport.
Do I have to pay the Brussels Airport Supplement or not?
- Senior Ticket*
- Youth Holidays
- Multi (Youth Multi, Standard Multi, Local Multi, etc.)
- Off-peak unlimited
- Eurostar ticket with "Any Belgian station" suppliement
- or 65B and 65C vouchers for Proximus and Bpost
- Yellow free tickets Federal Public Service of Mobility Transports and BIPT
- vouchers with code 901, 903, 904 or 909 (the amount of the Brussels Airport Supplement is displayed on the ticket that is issued in exchange for the voucher)
*Your Senior Ticket to/from Brussels Airport Zaventem already includes the Brussels Airport Supplement once for the outward journey. To return the same day, you must purchase a second supplement for the return journey.
- a Standard Ticket to/from Brussels Airport - Zaventem (supplement already included in the ticket price)
- a Youth Ticket to/from Brussels Airport - Zaventem (supplement already included in the ticket price)
- a season ticket (including Student Multi or Half-time Season Ticket) to/from Brussels Airport - Zaventem (supplement already included in the season ticket price)
- an Unlimited Season Ticket (supplement already included in the Unlimited Season Ticket price)
- children under 12 travelling with Free4Kids conditions
- a card for patriotic reasons
- a free carer card
- a Chamber and Senate card
- a Transport Police card
- NMBS-staff free cards and free tickets (working and retired)
- a Railease card
- concessions with code 906, 907 and 940.
- a free card
- a free card issued by B-MS.112
No Brussels Airport Supplement needed in 2nd class with the following tickets:
- journalists (code 043)
- blind and visually impaired persons
- local and federal uniformed police personnel
Practical informations
Either by scanning the barcode printed on their train ticket (paper or electronic versions), or by scanning their MoBIB card. If you are travelling to Brussels Airport-Zaventem station, it is important to keep your ticket handy to be able to access or leave the station easily.
- Go to a gate with a green arrow.
- Hold your MoBIB card over the reader or scan the barcode on your ticket.
If you are travelling with a Mobile Ticket, please display the barcode on the screen of your smartphone or tablet.
Make sure that your screen's contrast is set correctly to ensure optimal readability. - The gate will open and you're free to enter or leave the station.
Special cases
Accompanied children under the age of 12 travel free and can pass through the gates with the assistance of the staff present. The same applies to those carrying a national discount card for the blind and partially sighted.
Specific gates are provided for persons with reduced mobility. Standard gates are regulated to allow one person through, but there is sufficient space to pass through with small objects and luggage.
It is still possible to take a connecting service at Brussels Airport-Zaventem station, without having to pass through the gates.
Please note that a member of staff will be present at all times. Our staff are available to answer any questions or respond to any problem you may have. Assistance posts are also available fitted with a call button, allowing you to contact ticket counter staff.
The Diabolo surcharge came into force in 2009 as part of a major rail project, the Diabolo project. Its aim: to simplify train connections to Brussels Airport for the people of Brussels, as well as those living in Antwerp, Leuven, Namur and Liège. Thanks to its new direct rail lines, travelling by train to Brussels Airport is now quicker and easier. Developed by Northern Diabolo NV, the new rail line to the airport is based on a public/private partnership and is financed by the Diabolo levy, a supplement added to your train ticket.
The Diabolo Fee becomes the Brussels Airport Supplement
In March 2020, the Diabolo fee became the Brussels Airport Supplement. Its name has changed, but it remains essential to the operation and improvement of these lines, which are used every year by millions of passengers to get from Brussels Airport to Zaventem by train.
No, you don't need to buy a separate Brussels Airport Supplement for children under 12 years old:
- Children under 12 years who accompany another traveller travel for free (Free4kids) do not need any ticket at all and do not have to pay the Brussels Airport Supplement. Accompanied children can pass through the gates at Brussels Airport-Zaventem station together with another passenger.
- If your child is travelling alone with a Kids Ticket with Brussels Airport-Zaventem as departure or arrival station, the Brussels Airport Supplement is already included in the price of the Kids Ticket. You don't need to buy a supplement separately. Your child can open the gates at Brussels Airport-Zaventem station with the QR code that appears on his Kids Ticket.
