Belgium’s socialist public-service union ACOD (CGSP) says confidential documents point to an impending restructuring of the state-owned Antwerp-Deurne and Ostend-Bruges airports that could cost dozens of jobs. Speaking to the Brussels Times on Monday, 2 February, union secretary-general Jan Van Wesemael claimed to have seen draft proposals uploaded—apparently by mistake—to the airports’ intranet by French infrastructure group Egis, which operates both sites under a long-term concession with Flanders.
The papers reportedly outline a “mixed” staffing model that would replace civil-service positions with lower-paid private contracts and outsource certain ground-handling functions. Van Wesemael has demanded an immediate works-council meeting, warning that any unilateral changes would breach Belgian labour-representation rules. Egis confirms that optimisation scenarios are being prepared but insists “no final decisions have been taken.”
Regional airports in Flanders have struggled to regain pre-Covid passenger numbers and face mounting competition from Brussels Airport and Dutch hubs across the border. A cybersecurity incident and a series of nationwide strikes last year compounded financial pressures, pushing management to look for cost savings.
![Unions Sound Alarm Over Possible Job Cuts at Antwerp & Ostend Regional Airports]()
For companies that base corporate jets or rely on time-critical cargo at Antwerp and Ostend, potential workforce reductions raise questions about service reliability, turnaround times and industrial-action risk later this year. Mobility managers should review contingency airports and monitor social-dialogue calendars; a strike notice at Liège Airport last month illustrates how quickly labour disputes can ripple through Belgium’s fragmented airport network.
For travel departments scrambling to arrange alternative routings if labour unrest disrupts Antwerp or Ostend, VisaHQ can assist by securing any short-notice visas required for crew repositioning or passenger diversions. The firm’s Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) also aggregates Schengen-area entry rules, helping operators avoid paperwork delays when shifting flights to neighbouring airports in France, the Netherlands or Germany.
Under Belgian law, large-scale redundancies require formal consultation and a social plan; failure to observe these steps can trigger court injunctions. Egis therefore has limited room for unilateral action, but the leaked documents suggest turbulence ahead for regional aviation employment.
The papers reportedly outline a “mixed” staffing model that would replace civil-service positions with lower-paid private contracts and outsource certain ground-handling functions. Van Wesemael has demanded an immediate works-council meeting, warning that any unilateral changes would breach Belgian labour-representation rules. Egis confirms that optimisation scenarios are being prepared but insists “no final decisions have been taken.”
Regional airports in Flanders have struggled to regain pre-Covid passenger numbers and face mounting competition from Brussels Airport and Dutch hubs across the border. A cybersecurity incident and a series of nationwide strikes last year compounded financial pressures, pushing management to look for cost savings.
For companies that base corporate jets or rely on time-critical cargo at Antwerp and Ostend, potential workforce reductions raise questions about service reliability, turnaround times and industrial-action risk later this year. Mobility managers should review contingency airports and monitor social-dialogue calendars; a strike notice at Liège Airport last month illustrates how quickly labour disputes can ripple through Belgium’s fragmented airport network.
For travel departments scrambling to arrange alternative routings if labour unrest disrupts Antwerp or Ostend, VisaHQ can assist by securing any short-notice visas required for crew repositioning or passenger diversions. The firm’s Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) also aggregates Schengen-area entry rules, helping operators avoid paperwork delays when shifting flights to neighbouring airports in France, the Netherlands or Germany.
Under Belgian law, large-scale redundancies require formal consultation and a social plan; failure to observe these steps can trigger court injunctions. Egis therefore has limited room for unilateral action, but the leaked documents suggest turbulence ahead for regional aviation employment.
