Brussels Airport, Brussels Airlines and Tui go to court against Skeyes

Three Belgian air traffic companies will go to court against air traffic controller Skeyes, after two others already did in April. Airport operator Brussels Airport and the airlines Brussels Airlines and TUI fly have demanded "an uninterrupted service of Skeyes, on pain of periodic penalty payments" in summary proceedings, Brussels Airport announced on Tuesday. In April, Liege Cargo Handling Services and Cargo Airlines already took Skeyes to court for the way the air controller strikes disrupted their services.

The three denounce that in recent months the airspace has been partially or completely closed for at least one in three days, with serious (financial) consequences for the airport and airlines. "In a joint proceeding, we demand a guarantee of Skeyes on the continuity of air traffic in Belgium so that passengers are no longer the victims of actions with the air traffic controller," the press release stated.

Related News: Brussels Airlines demands compensation of 4 million euros from Skeyes

At the Charleroi airport, a sixth company, the low-cost airline Ryanair, is also considering taking action to obtain a penalty of 250,000 euros in case of new disturbances due to social conflicts at Skeyes, reported Sudpresse.

Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times