Out of the 340 flights scheduled at Brussels' Charleroi Airport, 88 have been cancelled on Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 August due to the strike by Belgium-based Ryanair pilots.
The social dispute between Ryanair's pilots based in Belgium and the low-cost budget airline has seen staff go on strike twice this summer: once over the weekend of 15-16 July, when some 120 flights were cancelled, and again on 29-30 July, when almost 100 flights to and from Charleroi Airport were affected.
This strike marks their first weekday action this summer, taking place at the end of a long weekend in Belgium due to the Assumption of Mary bank holiday on Tuesday. A total 0f 88 flights will be affected over the two days. The full list of cancellations can be found on the airport's website.
The cancellations will once again affect both arrivals and departures. Passengers flying to and from Charleroi have been told to check the status of their flights, as only some will be affected. People with cancelled flights have been asked not to come to the airport.
Philippe Verdonck, airport CEO, reported on Monday morning that the conditions were calm on the first day of the strike. "Only beaming faces of passengers going on holiday," he said, while lamenting that "more than 15,000 passengers are being cheated [by the union action]." The strike will once again only affect Charleroi airport, as no Ryanair aircraft are based at Belgium's largest airport in Zaventem.
No way out of impasse
Last year, the airline's cabin crew and pilots stationed in Belgium repeatedly went on strike during busy periods (summer holidays and Christmas) to protest against the maltreatment of staff, poor working conditions and wages.
As was the case during the previous actions, Ryanair pilots in Belgium are still demanding a wage restoration after giving up 20% of their pay during the Covid-19 crisis, as the airline is making profits again. They also point to insufficient rest time between flights and intensive work schedules. Despite several meetings between the unions and Ryanair's management, they are yet to find a way out of the impasse.
Credit: Nicolas Maeterlinck / Belga
Last week, the unions issued an open letter on Friday addressed to Prime Minister Alexandre De Croo and the Minister-President of Wallonia, Elio Di Rupo. They condemned Ryanair's "failure to comply with Belgian social and labour legislation" and called on them to react quickly and meet with them as soon as possible "to explain in greater detail the ongoing misdeeds of this airline."
"Our union organised several strikes in 2018, after which Ryanair decided to comply with these laws. However, five years on, Ryanair is back to its old ways and is now contesting the legitimacy of these laws," the CNE, ACV Puls and the Belgian Cockpit Association (BeCA), the professional association of Belgian airline pilots, noted on Friday.
The unions argued that Ryanair has broken several laws, namely by terminating CLAs signed during the pandemic, "despite the fact that it is legally impossible to do so."
Ryanair is legally required to offer an alternative flight free of charge when it is cancelled due to a strike. If an alternative is unsuitable, passengers have the right to demand a refund of their tickets. Passengers whose flights have been cancelled due to staff strikes are also entitled to compensation, as flights were cancelled less than two weeks before their departure.
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The EU 261 regulation stipulates that, unless there is a case of "force majeure" or "exceptional circumstances" (such as bad weather or an air traffic control strike), travellers have the right to an alternative flight or a refund as well as compensation if the flight is cancelled.
Depending on the distance of the flight, passengers will be granted €250, €400 or €600 in compensation. This compensation can be claimed directly via the Ryanair website.
