The situation at Charleroi Airport was “unacceptable,” declared Walloon Minister for Airports Cécile Neven on Monday evening.
All flights were cancelled from noon for the rest of the day due to a national protest for pensions in Brussels. Despite commitments to maintain operations, personnel from the external security provider, BSCA Security, failed to uphold their duties.
Thousands of travellers were affected and the airport struggled to communicate effectively, lamented the minister.
“This situation is unacceptable. Passengers cannot be taken hostage. Like the airlines, staff, and airport partners, they should be the priority. The future of BSCA’s operations depends on this,” she added.
“Our airport must regain the trust it deserves from users. This can only be achieved through collective responsibility,” concluded Neven.
Departing flights at Charleroi Airport were cancelled from midday on Monday for the remainder of the day, while arrivals continued.
The airport faced a significant, unexpected shortage of security staff. Initially, the external provider assured BSCA that absenteeism would not be severe despite the national protest. However, by Monday morning, six out of ten workers were absent, leading to long queues and numerous delays, prompting the airport to cancel all departures.
