Due to strike action by Belgium-based Ryanair pilots, 58 out of 288 scheduled Ryanair flights will be cancelled on Thursday and Friday at Charleroi Airport.
Passengers whose flights have been cancelled are being asked not to turn up at the airport. The cancellations affect both departures and arrivals.
This action will represent the fourth strike by Ryanair pilots in two months, the first dating back to mid-July. The date was not chosen at random, with a general meeting of the low-cost airline’s shareholders scheduled for September 14.
The pilots are still demanding that their salaries be restored after cuts conceded at the time of the Covid-19 pandemic. They are also pointing to problems with their rest time as Ryanair wants to tear up a Collective Labour Agreement expiring in October 2024, which is why the Belgian pilots’ strike notice runs until then.
Since their first strike, although there have been a few contacts, there have been no negotiations with the company.
Ryanair refuses any real discussions until the fifty or so Belgian-based pilots who have taken Ryanair to court withdraw their complaint, explains Didier Lebbe, Permanent Secretary of the CNE. This puts the union in an difficult position, since the issue stems from individual pilot initiatives.
As with previous strikes, the strike will only affect Charleroi Airport as no Ryanair aircraft are based at Brussels Airport in Zaventem and flights there are operated from other bases.
To see the full list of cancellations, please consult the airport's website.
