Belgian Skies Go Silent: National Strike Grounds All Flights

Charleroi Airport announced on Friday that all of its flights on Tuesday, October 14th, are canceled. Nathalie Pierard, the spokesperson, explains that this measure is necessary due to the "lack of staff present to ensure operations in complete safety" during the national strike. "Due to the national day of action planned by the trade union front, all flights scheduled to and from Charleroi Airport that day will be canceled," she states. A few days earlier, Brussels Airport in Zaventem had made the same decision by announcing the complete shutdown of its operations. Its management emphasizes that "the announced strike of a large number of G4S employees, the security provider, will have a major impact on airport activities".

This strike movement is part of a context of social unrest in Belgium. The trade unions are pointing to the decline in purchasing power and have called for mobilization in many strategic sectors, including public transportation. The Belgian aviation industry, which is still struggling to recover from the adverse effects of the health crisis and is being hit hard by the surge in energy and kerosene costs, is facing a new, albeit temporary, paralysis.

Travelers will experience a complete interruption of air links at the country’s two main international platforms. Passengers whose flights from Charleroi are canceled will be contacted in the coming days to examine the possible options: trip postponement, itinerary change, or full refund of tickets. Brussels Airport is also implementing similar measures for its passengers. It should be recalled that in October 2022, a social mobilization of the same scale had already caused the near-total stoppage of Belgian air traffic, affecting tens of thousands of travelers.