The general strike on Monday is estimated to have a financial impact of over €5.5 million on the tourism sector, according to the Association of Flemish Travel Agencies (VVR), which represents six hundred travel companies in Flanders and Brussels.
A total of 100,000 people are affected, with thousands of Belgians departing a day earlier for their holidays.
Due to the general strike, none of the nearly 250 scheduled departing passenger flights will take off from Brussels Airport on Monday. Disruption is also expected for incoming flights. All flights to and from Charleroi Airport have been cancelled as well. Train and bus services will also be severely disrupted.
Approximately 100,000 people travelling to or from Belgium will be affected, the VVR reports. Several thousand Belgian holidaymakers are leaving a day earlier than planned.
“Over the past few days, travel agents have done everything possible to rebook holidays planned through them to avoid major disruptions,” said Koen van den Bosch, CEO of the VVR. This involves around 37,000 package travellers. They can depart on Monday via surrounding airports in France, the Netherlands, or Germany, or travel a day earlier or later from a Belgian airport. “Additionally, compensations are provided for missed excursions or lost nights.”
Van den Bosch notes that this is the third time this year that the national airport has had to close due to strikes. Together, this has cost the sector over €16 million. “In recent months, our country has been mockingly referred to as the national society of Belgian strikes. This needs to stop,” he concluded.
