A three-day national strike in Belgium that peaks today (26 November) has led Brussels Airport to cancel all departing passenger flights, with knock-on effects for Spanish travellers and airlines. Iberia scrapped its morning and evening Madrid–Brussels rotations, while Air Europa has offered free date or routing changes for flights between 25 and 30 November. Vueling warned customers of potential delays on Barcelona services.
The disruption illustrates the vulnerability of European hub-and-spoke itineraries: Madrid-based corporates often route to Africa, the Middle East and secondary European cities via Brussels on Star Alliance or SkyTeam partners. Mobility managers are advising travellers to consider Paris CDG, Amsterdam or Frankfurt as alternatives, though these airports face higher load factors due to spill-over demand.
![Belgian general strike grounds Brussels flights, prompting Spanish carriers to activate rebooking policies]()
Cargo flows are also affected; Brussels is a key pharma-logistics hub for temperature-controlled shipments into Spain. Freight forwarders report that urgent loads are being trucked to Amsterdam for uplift, adding 12-18 hours to transit times.
Unions say the strike is a protest against pension reforms and wage restraint. Belgian authorities insist passenger screening staff will return to work tomorrow, but airlines expect residual disruption to last at least 48 hours while aircraft and crew rotations normalise.
Travellers with flexible tickets are urged to rebook outside the 24-27 November window. Those connecting onward to non-Schengen destinations should verify visa validity if rerouted through countries with different transit-visa rules.
The disruption illustrates the vulnerability of European hub-and-spoke itineraries: Madrid-based corporates often route to Africa, the Middle East and secondary European cities via Brussels on Star Alliance or SkyTeam partners. Mobility managers are advising travellers to consider Paris CDG, Amsterdam or Frankfurt as alternatives, though these airports face higher load factors due to spill-over demand.
Cargo flows are also affected; Brussels is a key pharma-logistics hub for temperature-controlled shipments into Spain. Freight forwarders report that urgent loads are being trucked to Amsterdam for uplift, adding 12-18 hours to transit times.
Unions say the strike is a protest against pension reforms and wage restraint. Belgian authorities insist passenger screening staff will return to work tomorrow, but airlines expect residual disruption to last at least 48 hours while aircraft and crew rotations normalise.
Travellers with flexible tickets are urged to rebook outside the 24-27 November window. Those connecting onward to non-Schengen destinations should verify visa validity if rerouted through countries with different transit-visa rules.
