Air traffic to and from Belgium will come to a standstill from 14:15 on Tuesday due to industrial action at Skeyes, the air traffic control company said. Hundreds of flights have been cancelled.

A spontaneous strike by air traffic controllers overnight from Monday to Tuesday led to 30 passenger flight cancellations at Charleroi Airport and affected about 40 cargo flights at Liege Airport.

The workers are protesting the conditions under which the future digital control tower in Namur will be put into service, which is set to centralise the operations of the control towers at Liège and Charleroi airports starting in 2027.

Further action will continue to disrupt flights in the country today. Air traffic is expected to be suspended until 21:00; however, the situation may change, according to Skeyes spokesperson Audrey Dorigo.

"Despite the removal of the item regarding the digital control tower from the joint committee’s agenda, air traffic controllers have decided to provide only minimum service, which includes state flights, medical flights, and search & rescue flights,” explained Dorigo.

Update from airports

Brussels Airport updated at 14:50 that not all 200 flights scheduled from 14:00 to 21:00 on Tuesday will be cancelled, contrary to initial reports.

Flights scheduled between 19:00 and 21:00 may still fly today, albeit after 21:00, when air traffic is expected to resume.

For specific information, Brussels Airport refers passengers to their airline.

Meanwhile, Brussels South Charleroi Airport (BSCA) announced on its website that all its flights scheduled to arrive or depart from 14:15 were cancelled. Affected passengers should contact their airline for information about refunds or to book a new flight.

Nonetheless, the airport noted that flights originally scheduled to depart or arrive between 19:45 and 21:00 may still operate today once air traffic resumes after 21:00.

BSCA advises passengers, particularly those with flights scheduled after 21:00, to confirm their flight status on their airline's website.

"Brussels South Charleroi Airport regrets the impact of this Skeyes strike on its passengers’ travel plans and is doing everything possible to restore normal operations as soon as possible," a spokesperson for the airport added in a statement.

Source: The Brussels Times