Belgium’s busiest cargo gateway is heading for confrontation after the socialist union FGTB denounced the dismissal of three employees—one of them a union representative—at Liège Airport. Management communicated the layoffs in early January citing reduced event-sector activity, but the union calls the justification “implausible” given the airport’s record 2025 financial results.
In a statement on 21 January, FGTB accused airport leadership of eroding social dialogue since taking office in 2021 and warned that the firings could be the “tip of the iceberg” in a wider cost-cutting drive. The union has scheduled a demonstration outside the passenger terminal at 13:00 on 10 February, a date that coincides with a province-wide strike against federal austerity measures.
Liège Airport handles more than one million tonnes of freight annually and serves as a European hub for carriers such as ASL Airlines and Qatar Cargo. Any labour-related disruption could ripple through pharmaceutical, e-commerce and perishables supply chains that depend on its 24/7 operations and generous night-flight quotas.
![Labour tensions rise at Liège Airport after redundancies spark union protest]()
Airport spokespersons insist day-to-day activities remain unaffected and note that the Liège Airport Academy offers retraining opportunities. However, industry observers point out that smaller staffing-level disputes have escalated rapidly in Belgium’s transport sector over the past year, leading to surprise work-stoppages that caught logistics planners off guard.
For companies sending technicians, negotiators or replacement crew to Belgium at short notice, having visa paperwork squared away is just as critical as securing cargo space. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) simplifies and accelerates the process of obtaining Belgian visas and other travel documents, providing real-time tracking and expert support so personnel can reach Liège swiftly—even when industrial action threatens to upend schedules.
Global mobility managers moving time-critical cargo or arranging crew rotations through Liège are advised to build contingency buffers around the early-February protest and to monitor union announcements closely for signs of escalated action such as work-to-rule or strike ballots.
In a statement on 21 January, FGTB accused airport leadership of eroding social dialogue since taking office in 2021 and warned that the firings could be the “tip of the iceberg” in a wider cost-cutting drive. The union has scheduled a demonstration outside the passenger terminal at 13:00 on 10 February, a date that coincides with a province-wide strike against federal austerity measures.
Liège Airport handles more than one million tonnes of freight annually and serves as a European hub for carriers such as ASL Airlines and Qatar Cargo. Any labour-related disruption could ripple through pharmaceutical, e-commerce and perishables supply chains that depend on its 24/7 operations and generous night-flight quotas.
Airport spokespersons insist day-to-day activities remain unaffected and note that the Liège Airport Academy offers retraining opportunities. However, industry observers point out that smaller staffing-level disputes have escalated rapidly in Belgium’s transport sector over the past year, leading to surprise work-stoppages that caught logistics planners off guard.
For companies sending technicians, negotiators or replacement crew to Belgium at short notice, having visa paperwork squared away is just as critical as securing cargo space. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) simplifies and accelerates the process of obtaining Belgian visas and other travel documents, providing real-time tracking and expert support so personnel can reach Liège swiftly—even when industrial action threatens to upend schedules.
Global mobility managers moving time-critical cargo or arranging crew rotations through Liège are advised to build contingency buffers around the early-February protest and to monitor union announcements closely for signs of escalated action such as work-to-rule or strike ballots.
