Deutsche Bahn launches ICE service between Cologne and Brussels Airport
On 7 September 2026, Brussels Airport welcomed a Deutsche Bahn high-speed ICE train from Cologne for the first time in more than ten years. Brussels Airlines and Deutsche Bahn have also launched a partnership allowing passengers from western Germany to buy train and flight tickets combined into a single ticket.
The airport is thus once again directly connected to the international high-speed rail network for the first time since 2015. The link was made possible by cooperation between Brussels Airlines and German rail operator Deutsche Bahn.
The first train departed Cologne at 6:11 and, after stops in Aachen, Liège and Leuven, arrived at Brussels Airport station at 8:29. From there it continued about five minutes later to its final destination, Antwerp-Centraal. To mark the inaugural service, Brussels Airlines cabin crew handed out Belgian Neuhaus pralines to passengers.
Brussels Airport CEO Arnaud Feist said the arrival of the high-speed train marks an important step in developing the airport as an intermodal hub. He said the airport wants to offer passengers sustainable cross-border travel options, and that the connection to the ICE network will allow part of the journey to be made by train, with a convenient onward connection to a network of more than 180 destinations.
The partnership between Brussels Airlines and Deutsche Bahn was announced in February 2026. Since then, according to the carrier, passengers have already bought more than a thousand tickets combining the train and flight legs of a journey into a single ticket. The most popular destinations for this intermodal product include New York, Accra and Alicante.
Brussels Airlines CFO Nina Öwerdieck said the partnership allows the carrier's network to welcome more passengers without having to add extra flights. She expressed hope that this is the beginning of a wider high-speed rail network at Brussels Airport and, in future, further options for combining train and plane travel.
Michael Peterson, the Deutsche Bahn board member responsible for long-distance transport, said the direct connection to Antwerp and Brussels Airport via modern trains is meant to make international rail travel simpler and more attractive. He said the ICE service links two major transport hubs – Cologne as a centre for cross-border long-distance journeys, and Brussels Airport as an international hub for onward air travel.
- Departure from Cologne
- 6:11
- Arrival at Brussels Airport
- 8:29
- Route destination
- Antwerp-Centraal
- Partnership launch
- February 2026
- Tickets sold
- over 1,000
Trains from Cologne arrive at the airport station daily at 8:29 and 16:28, while in the opposite direction, trains from Antwerp to Cologne depart Brussels Airport at 11:29 and 14:29 – two pairs of services per day in total. Deutsche Bahn's ICE high-speed trains on this route operate in cooperation with Belgian rail operator NMBS, which among other things provides the train drivers.
Benefits for passengers
- Guaranteed onward connections in case of train or flight delays
- Ability to earn miles in the Lufthansa Group's Miles & More programme
- Tickets can be bought at Brusselsairlines.com, through travel agencies and via other usual sales channels
The new connection is designed to give passengers from western Germany quick access to Brussels Airport's network of more than 180 destinations worldwide, and, conversely, to offer passengers arriving at the airport an easy direct link to western Germany.