All departing flights at Brussels Airport scheduled for October 1 have been cancelled due to an upcoming industrial action taken by security staff.
The airport announced the news on its social media, advising passengers to avoid reaching the airport. This change in flight schedule is expected to affect over 50,000 passengers, Schengen.News reports.
In order to ensure the safety of passengers and staff, the airlines, in consultation with Brussels Airport, will not operate any passenger flights departing on 1 October. The airlines are informing passengers directly of the cancellation of their flights. We ask passengers not to go to the airport on 1 October.
Staff Protests for Better Working Conditions
The strike action is being taken by European trade union federations UNI Europa and Effat and the Belgian unions, who are seeking better working conditions.
Unions say that poor pay, dilapidated facilities and long working hours are impacting the health of high staff and turnover as recruitment and retention suffers. According to them, negotiations with the air operator (BAC) have failed despite several attempts.
The industrial action will also impact two other Belgian airports – Liege and Charleroi- with the latter indicating a 30 per cent reduction in operations.
A netizen has voiced his concerns on Reddit, being one of many who are uncertain about their flight status.
A month ago I booked flight tickets from Athens to Brussels via Aegean Airlines, I saw on the news lately that there is a strike scheduled on the same day I am travelling. Brussels Airlines have already cancelled their flights on that day. Should I be worried about my flight being cancelled? Aegean Airlines have not yet taken any action.
More Than 1.1 Million Passengers Departed Via Brussels Airport in August
According to statistics by the Brussels Airport, more than 1.1 million people travelled abroad via this hub in 2024 – seven per cent more than in the previous year.
The total number of passengers recorded during this month surpassed 2.4 million. That was also an increase of 6.9 per cent compared to 2.2 million passengers that travelled via Brussels Airports in 2023.
The number of passengers at this airport is constantly increasing, as between January and August, over 7.8 million departing passengers were registered – six per cent more than in the same period in 2023.
The total number of passengers has also surged by six per cent, from 14.8 to 15.7 million, recorded between January and August of 2023.