At least 30% of departing flights will be cancelled at Brussels Airport due to the general strike on Tuesday, while all departing flights at Charleroi Airport (BSCA) will be cancelled, the airports announced on Friday afternoon.
The disruption is related to a national day of action by trade unions against measures taken by the Federal Government, in which some of the airport's handlers and security staff will participate. A full overview of expected strike-related disruptions can be found here.
"This forces us to take measures to carry out our airport operations in the best possible way and continue to guarantee the safety of our passengers and staff," said Brussels Airport. "Specifically, 30% of departing flights will be cancelled."
While no immediate disruptions are expected for arriving flights, the airport warned that delays and cancellations remain possible. The number of cancelled flights could increase in the coming days. Passengers whose flights are affected will not be notified by Brussels Airport, but directly by the airlines.
Additionally, people flying on Tuesday should also take into account possible public transport disruptions when going to and from the airport. Brussels Airport is warning passengers to be at the airport on time: two hours before departure for a flight within the Schengen zone, and three hours for a long-haul flight.
Charleroi Airport
Meanwhile, all departing flights are Charleroi Airport (BSCA) have been cancelled because there will not be enough staff "to run operations in complete safety," the airport announced on Friday evening. Previously, the airport had communicated to The Brussels Times that the impact of the strike was expected to be minor.
As it stands now, there should be no disruptions to arriving flights. However, it could be that due to cancellations of departures, arrivals will also be cancelled. "We regret the impact of these actions on our passengers' travel plans and apologise for any inconvenience caused."
Passengers due to board from the airport will be contacted by their airline for a rebooking or refund.
The day of action falls in the spring break in French-speaking schools, which begins Friday evening.
Update: This article has been updated to include Charleroi Airport's announcement on Friday at 18:00.
