New data released on 27 November by aviation tracker FlightAware show the full scale of the previous day’s strike disruption at Brussels Airport. In total, 60 flights were cancelled and a further 174 delayed during the 24-hour period, grounding travellers bound for Madrid, Geneva, Stockholm, Athens and Helsinki and rippling across European schedules.
While many carriers had pre-emptively trimmed timetables, knock-on crew-rostering issues and ramp shortages forced additional same-day cancellations. Long-haul routes to New York and Montréal saw delays of up to four hours as arriving aircraft waited for parking stands. Hotel occupancy in the Zaventem corridor hit 98 per cent by mid-afternoon, according to the Belgian Hotel Association, as transit passengers scrambled for rooms.
![Brussels Airport counts 60 cancelled and 174 delayed flights, leaving thousands stranded]()
Business-travel management companies (TMCs) reported a fivefold spike in emergency re-booking calls. “Clients with global mobility programmes now demand dual-routing options via Paris or Amsterdam whenever Belgium announces industrial action,” said Pieter De Coster, director of HR consultancy MoveMent.
Although the strike has ended, Brussels Airport warned that 27 November would be unusually busy as it processes a backlog of 68,000 travellers—8,000 more than a typical Thursday. Passengers are urged to use the airport’s online slot-advice tool and arrive three hours before non-Schengen departures.
For mobility teams, the episode underscores the need for real-time disruption dashboards and contingency budgets to cover hotel and per-diem overruns when key hubs shut down without notice.
While many carriers had pre-emptively trimmed timetables, knock-on crew-rostering issues and ramp shortages forced additional same-day cancellations. Long-haul routes to New York and Montréal saw delays of up to four hours as arriving aircraft waited for parking stands. Hotel occupancy in the Zaventem corridor hit 98 per cent by mid-afternoon, according to the Belgian Hotel Association, as transit passengers scrambled for rooms.
Business-travel management companies (TMCs) reported a fivefold spike in emergency re-booking calls. “Clients with global mobility programmes now demand dual-routing options via Paris or Amsterdam whenever Belgium announces industrial action,” said Pieter De Coster, director of HR consultancy MoveMent.
Although the strike has ended, Brussels Airport warned that 27 November would be unusually busy as it processes a backlog of 68,000 travellers—8,000 more than a typical Thursday. Passengers are urged to use the airport’s online slot-advice tool and arrive three hours before non-Schengen departures.
For mobility teams, the episode underscores the need for real-time disruption dashboards and contingency budgets to cover hotel and per-diem overruns when key hubs shut down without notice.
