Liege Airport in Belgium Sees 27% Drop in Asian Cargo Volume; EU's €3 Small Parcel Tariff Reshapes E-commerce Logistics

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 14, Liege Airport in Belgium disclosed that after the EU implemented a temporary €3 tariff on low-value small parcels starting July 1, the airport's Asian cargo volume fell by about 27%, equivalent to a roughly 10% reduction in the airport's overall cargo volume. Frederic Brun, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Liege Airport, said that in addition to the tax itself, differing collection and guarantee methods among EU member states are also affecting the flow of cross-border e-commerce goods.

The new EU rules apply to low-value goods valued at no more than €150 imported from outside the EU. Starting July 1, 2026, the previous arrangement exempting goods below €150 from tariffs was abolished and replaced by a temporary flat €3 tariff applied according to different product categories. This temporary system is planned to last until July 1, 2028, after which it will transition to the normal tariff system.

Official July data from Liege Airport already showed that the new rules had a clear impact on e-commerce cargo flows. In July, the number of e-commerce parcels in the Liege Bierset customs area fell 24% year-on-year and 41% compared with June; B2C imports valued below €150 declined significantly. However, the airport's total air cargo volume still grew 4% year-on-year that month, indicating that other cargo categories such as pharmaceuticals and semiconductors partially offset the decline in e-commerce volume.

In addition to the €3 tariff, member states differ in how they collect the tax. Liege Airport said Belgium initially required companies to provide a relatively large deposit, then adjusted to weekly prepayment; markets such as Germany and the Netherlands still require relatively high bank guarantees. For e-commerce logistics companies with smaller capital bases, different guarantee rules directly affect the amount of funds tied up for customs clearance and the choice of port of entry for goods entering Europe.

The EU will also introduce a new small parcel handling fee before November 2026 to cover customs supervision and inspection costs. This fee is independent of the existing temporary €3 tariff, and the specific fee level will be determined by the European Commission. Meanwhile, starting in November, product identification information in low-value goods declarations will also become mandatory.

Liege Airport's cargo volume reached 1.3246 million tons in 2025, up 14% year-on-year, ranking it among Europe's major air cargo hubs. In the first two months of 2026, the airport's cargo volume still grew 18.6% year-on-year, and in the first quarter it grew 16%; therefore, the rapid decline in e-commerce cargo flows after July marked a clear phase change.