2.1. 2016–2024 & projections for 2025 (direct jobs)
Employment trends are more mixed for the 2021–2024 period than in previous updates, as noted by Guénaël Devillet, Director of SEGEFA: “There is a loss of 62 jobs, but a gain of 411 FTEs between 2021 and 2024 within the region. The restructuring at FedEx (500 jobs lost in 2022 and 2023) partly explains this result, as do the bankruptcies of Coastair and
EasyLog. ” However, certain developments have helped offset these losses: “Growth at key companies within the area—Challenge Handling, Challenge Airlines, Swissport, ASL Airlines, Cainiao, and Aviapartner—which continue to expand. Also worth noting is the establishment of new small businesses (R-Boss, Cacesa, EDT, etc.). What is also interesting is that FTEs have increased steadily relative to the number of jobs.”
An international reach that benefits the Liège region
For Laurent Jossart, CEO of Liege Airport, this study reinforces the strategy that has been implemented: “The ecosystem is maturing, and we have reached a critical mass that attracts companies to the economic activity zones and surrounding areas. In the coming years, we will work on strengthening our position as a provider of multimodal logistics solutions with a particular focus on creating more added value in warehouses, digitalization, the types of goods transported by air, and multimodality. With our €500 million master plan, the airport will expand its international reach. This will be a net benefit for the Liège region and Belgium’s appeal as a logistics hub.”
Pascale Delcominette, General Director of the Walloon Export Agency, is delighted with the airport’s increasingly significant international reach: “This study confirms that Liege Airport is an indispensable economic catalyst for our region. As a leading multimodal logistics ecosystem, the airport is a major strategic asset that positions Wallonia as an internationally recognized European hub. The establishment of foreign companies attests to this appeal and drives structural job creation. Seeing this ecosystem now support more than 12,000 workers demonstrates its ability to transform international investment into a concrete and robust contribution to the Walloon economy.”
While the significant growth in full-time equivalents is noteworthy, what is also very important, according to Laurent Jossart, are the economic benefits for the Liège region: “The main municipalities where workers reside are Grâce-Hollogne, Saint-Nicolas, Ans, Flémalle, and Seraing. More than 1,000 airport workers live in Liège! This underscores the driving role the airport plays in local employment.”
2.2. Main residential municipalities (direct jobs)
