Ryanair Cancels Belgian Flights Amid Pilot Strike, Morocco Routes Unaffected

The pilots’ strike is forcing Ryanair to cancel several flights. In a statement to the Belga news agency, Didier Lebbe of the CNE said that all flights operated in Belgium from Zaventem will be cancelled as well as many flights from Charleroi, reports La Dernière Heure. For its part, Brussels Airport issued a press release to confirm that only Ryanair flights with a Belgian crew will be cancelled (five rotations, i.e. five departures and five arrivals, out of a total of 16 for Saturday). A similar situation is expected on Sunday. As for the other flights, which take off with crews from other countries, they are maintained.

"Despised", the Irish low-cost airline’s Belgian pilots are demanding a salary increase. "Ryanair has indicated that activity has reached 115% of its 2019 level, so there is nothing preventing this salary increase," explains Didier Lebbe. They had agreed to a 20% reduction in their salary during the health crisis related to the coronavirus. The pilots are also outraged by the agreements signed by Ryanair with French and Spanish pilots, which provide for "a return to the 2020 salary in 2027". "I don’t know why they signed that, but there is no question of similar agreements being signed in Belgium," warns Didier Lebbe.

For now, "the management of Ryanair has not made any contact with the pilots’ unions with a view to negotiations," adds the union representative.