Unions representing skeyes air traffic controllers at Brussels South Charleroi Airport suspended their night strike with immediate effect on 23 September in order to open external mediation over night-work allowances. The action, which began on 16 September and had been scheduled to continue until 10 October, is therefore paused, although disruption already programmed for the day did not disappear instantly.
What we know
Brussels South Charleroi Airport had planned 42 cancellations for 23 September, including 12 morning flights and 30 evening services, while 14 other flights were due to operate with revised schedules. Since the start of the night strike on 16 September, more than 200 flights had already been cancelled according to operational figures released by the airport.
The strike had been taking place every night from 22:00 to 08:00 and centred in particular on compensation for night work. Several conciliation attempts had failed before the unions agreed to suspend the action and enter mediation.
Why the effects appeared before 22:00
Airline schedules are built around aircraft rotations. A jet unable to return to Charleroi during the night may also be unable to operate its first flight the following morning. That is why cancellations appeared several hours before the official start of each strike period.
Ryanair was among the carriers forced to remove rotations, including services linked to Madrid, Ibiza, Venice, Bologna, Manchester and Stockholm. Early-morning departures were also exposed to disruption.
How large was the potential impact?
Across the full strike period initially announced, skeyes estimated that as many as 832 flight movements could have been exposed to disruption: 487 morning movements and 345 night movements. This was an exposure estimate, not a confirmed cancellation total, because the real effect depended on airline schedule changes and on whether a settlement could be reached.
What it changes for passengers
The suspension reduces the immediate risk of further nightly cancellations, but passengers should still check their flight directly with their airline before travelling to the airport, particularly while previously planned schedule changes are being unwound.
Charleroi is one of Europe’s major low-cost airports and serves travellers from Belgium, northern France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Even a relatively short operational stoppage can therefore affect thousands of passengers.
What to watch
The main issue is whether external mediation can produce a durable agreement on night-work compensation. If talks fail, industrial action could return.
Sources
Brussels South Charleroi Airport; skeyes; Belga; The Brussels Times.
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