All Flights at Brussels and Charleroi Airports Canceled on May 14 Due to Skeyes Air Traffic Controllers' Strike
On May 14, all flights at Brussels and Charleroi airports were canceled due to an unannounced strike by Belgian air traffic controllers from Skeyes. This affected approximately 140 flights in Brussels and 100 Ryanair flights, impacting nearly 20,000 passengers. The strike is linked to negotiations over a new digital control center.
On Tuesday, May 14, all departures and arrivals to and from Brussels and Charleroi airports were canceled in the afternoon due to an unannounced strike by Belgian air traffic controllers. This was reported by Politico, citing «European Pravda».
Both airports confirmed that the so-called spontaneous strike at the national air traffic control service Skeyes began at 14:00. Brussels Airport in Zaventem advised passengers scheduled to depart not to come to the airport for flights planned between 14:00 and 19:00, as all of them were canceled. In an email, the airport stated that approximately 140 flights were affected. «Flights scheduled for the period from 19:00 to 21:00 will be delayed until 21:00, if possible,» the airport added.
Charleroi Airport reported that this unexpected action had already led to the cancellation of numerous flights between 6:30 and 9:30. The resumption of the strike in the afternoon was expected to disrupt most departures and arrivals until 21:00.
According to the Belgian public broadcaster VRT, the strike at Skeyes is related to negotiations between management and unions regarding a new digital control center serving Charleroi Airport and Liège cargo airport. Ryanair announced that the strike resulted in the cancellation of 100 of its flights, affecting nearly 20,000 passengers. Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary stated: «While we respect the right to strike, it is unacceptable that airlines were not warned about today's strike by Belgian air traffic controllers.»