Transport havoc continued on 24 November, the first day of Belgium’s three-day strike, as airlines, rail operators and road-traffic authorities grappled with cascading cancellations. Euronews Travel reports that ground staff walkouts forced Brussels South Charleroi Airport to declare that it “will not be able to operate scheduled departures or arrivals” on 26 November, while Brussels Airport suspended all outbound flights and warned of possible inbound cuts.
Rail disruption is equally severe. National operator SNCB is running roughly 20 percent of its usual timetable through the evening of 26 November, and freight paths have been slashed—an acute concern for just-in-time manufacturers clustered around Antwerp and Ghent. Cross-border services are patchy: only half of Eurostar trains between Brussels and Paris are running, and ICE/TGV frequencies to Germany and France are down by 80 percent.
![Flights, trains and roads hit as Belgium enters final day of coordinated national strike]()
Road travel offers no easy alternative. Union pickets have slowed access to major ring-road interchanges, and police are diverting heavy goods vehicles away from protest flashpoints. Logistics analysts say average truck-transit times between the Port of Antwerp and the German border have doubled to nearly four hours, a blow for temperature-controlled life-science shipments.
The strike stems from opposition to a draft budget that would raise the retirement age and tighten unemployment benefits. Unions accuse the centre-right coalition of “social vandalism” and promise further action if talks stall. The government counters that fiscal tightening is needed to keep Belgium’s debt below 120 percent of GDP.
Corporate travel managers should alert travellers to expect multi-modal disruption, book flexible tickets, and consider routing via Amsterdam or Paris airports. Firms with time-critical cargo should liaise with forwarders about rerouting through Liège or Luxembourg, and ensure drivers carry contingency letters in case of police checks at ad-hoc roadblocks.
Rail disruption is equally severe. National operator SNCB is running roughly 20 percent of its usual timetable through the evening of 26 November, and freight paths have been slashed—an acute concern for just-in-time manufacturers clustered around Antwerp and Ghent. Cross-border services are patchy: only half of Eurostar trains between Brussels and Paris are running, and ICE/TGV frequencies to Germany and France are down by 80 percent.
Road travel offers no easy alternative. Union pickets have slowed access to major ring-road interchanges, and police are diverting heavy goods vehicles away from protest flashpoints. Logistics analysts say average truck-transit times between the Port of Antwerp and the German border have doubled to nearly four hours, a blow for temperature-controlled life-science shipments.
The strike stems from opposition to a draft budget that would raise the retirement age and tighten unemployment benefits. Unions accuse the centre-right coalition of “social vandalism” and promise further action if talks stall. The government counters that fiscal tightening is needed to keep Belgium’s debt below 120 percent of GDP.
Corporate travel managers should alert travellers to expect multi-modal disruption, book flexible tickets, and consider routing via Amsterdam or Paris airports. Firms with time-critical cargo should liaise with forwarders about rerouting through Liège or Luxembourg, and ensure drivers carry contingency letters in case of police checks at ad-hoc roadblocks.
