Almost 100 flights to and from Charleroi Airport will be cancelled this weekend (29 and 30 July) as a result of the Ryanair pilot strike, which comes just two weeks after the last action.
After striking on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 July, which saw more than 80% of Ryanair’s pilots taking part and a total of 120 flights being cancelled, a second weekend of action is scheduled to take place during what is expected to be a very busy few days for travel.
"We regret these strike actions, which are beyond our control, and apologise for any inconvenience caused," Charleroi Airport stated.
On Thursday, the airport confirmed on its website that 28 Ryanair flights will be cancelled on Saturday 29 July, affecting both inbound and outbound flights. It has published a full list of the destinations scheduled from 06:30 to 22:55. This figure was then updated to include another 22, bringing the total to 50.
Most of the cancelled destinations are in Spain, Portugal, France and Italy, with destinations including Nîmes, Bologna, Naples, Lisbon, Carcassonne, and Alicante. Trips to and from Romania's capital Bucharest are also included in the list.
Meanwhile, it has also confirmed the number of cancelled flights for Sunday. A total of 46 trips will be affected. The flights affected by the strike on Sunday are round trips scheduled between 06:20 and 22:55, with destinations including Venice, Riga, Tangiers, Nîmes, Biarritz and Seville.
Not all flights cancelled
Charleroi Airport has called on people not to come to the airport if their flight has been cancelled to avoid overcrowding. It also stressed that not all flights will be affected as the strike only concerns Ryanair's Belgian pilots.
"We strongly recommend that you check the status of your flight, regularly check the Ryanair website, as well as our website to find out whether or not your flight is affected by the strike, and check your emails or texts."
Passengers will be notified within 48 hours prior to departure if their flight is still scheduled or cancelled. The airline is obliged to offer an alternative flight free of charge to the passengers concerned. If this is not possible, they have the right to demand a refund of their tickets and are also eligible for compensation.
Although Ryanair also operates flights at Zaventem, the aircraft it uses there are not based in Belgium, meaning the strike action will only affect operations at Charleroi Airport.
Credit: Belga / Jonas Hamers
The Irish low-cost airline's pilots are demanding that their pay be restored after cuts conceded at the time of the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020, they agreed to a 20% pay cut to help the company during the Covid-19 crisis. According to the unions, however, the management refuses to talk about reversing that gesture, "despite the return of huge profits."
Indeed, the strike comes days after the company announced that its net profit multiplied fourfold in the first three months of 2023, driven by an increase in traffic and higher ticket prices. The company's net profit reached €663 million despite a significant increase in costs.
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According to the new collective labour agreement Ryanair wants to introduce, pilots will have to be available to fly out for six (instead of five previously) consecutive days at any time of the day. As a result, pilots lose a day of rest.
Several meetings between the pilots’ representatives and the company have been held to no avail. The airline’s management has still not come up with a concrete proposal in response to the grievances, something which striking pilots will be explicitly denouncing this weekend.
This article was updated at 12:00 on Friday to include the newly confirmed affected flights.
