Belgium’s largest air hub, Brussels Airport (BRU), confirmed on Sunday, 23 November, that no outbound passenger flights will operate on Wednesday, 26 November. The shutdown is the first full-day closure since the pandemic and follows a strike call by Belgium’s three main union confederations over wage-indexation and pension reform.
Airport management said the decision was taken in consultation with airlines after its main security-screening and ground-handling partners notified the airport that “insufficient staff” would be available to guarantee safety standards on the day of action. Some inbound flights may also be scrubbed or diverted, as airlines weigh crew-duty limits and the lack of baggage-handling capacity.
![Brussels Airport to Halt All Departures on 26 November as Nationwide Strike Looms]()
For corporate mobility managers the implications are sizeable: more than 200 departures and 30,000 seats will disappear from mid-week schedules that normally shuttle EU officials, NATO staff and business travellers between Brussels and Europe’s other political capitals. Airlines have begun issuing e-vouchers and rebooking passengers on 25 or 27 November services, but seat availability is already tight after earlier industrial actions this year.
Ground transport alternatives will also be strained. Belgian rail operator SNCB warns that only a “skeleton timetable” will run during the three-day strike period, while Eurostar is slashing half its Brussels-Paris frequencies. Companies with mission-critical travellers are therefore advising staff either to advance departures to Sunday evening or to switch to virtual meetings.
Longer-term, the shutdown has rekindled industry pressure on the federal government to introduce an ‘essential-services’ framework—similar to those in France and Italy—that would keep minimum airport operations running during labour disputes. Until such legislation emerges, businesses reliant on Belgium’s central location should expect recurring disruption every time wage talks stall.
Airport management said the decision was taken in consultation with airlines after its main security-screening and ground-handling partners notified the airport that “insufficient staff” would be available to guarantee safety standards on the day of action. Some inbound flights may also be scrubbed or diverted, as airlines weigh crew-duty limits and the lack of baggage-handling capacity.
For corporate mobility managers the implications are sizeable: more than 200 departures and 30,000 seats will disappear from mid-week schedules that normally shuttle EU officials, NATO staff and business travellers between Brussels and Europe’s other political capitals. Airlines have begun issuing e-vouchers and rebooking passengers on 25 or 27 November services, but seat availability is already tight after earlier industrial actions this year.
Ground transport alternatives will also be strained. Belgian rail operator SNCB warns that only a “skeleton timetable” will run during the three-day strike period, while Eurostar is slashing half its Brussels-Paris frequencies. Companies with mission-critical travellers are therefore advising staff either to advance departures to Sunday evening or to switch to virtual meetings.
Longer-term, the shutdown has rekindled industry pressure on the federal government to introduce an ‘essential-services’ framework—similar to those in France and Italy—that would keep minimum airport operations running during labour disputes. Until such legislation emerges, businesses reliant on Belgium’s central location should expect recurring disruption every time wage talks stall.
