Only a week after posting record winter traffic figures, Brussels Airport (BRU) told airlines on 5 March that **all departing flights on 12 March will be cancelled** because of a nationwide general strike called by Belgium’s three major trade-union federations. Arriving services “may also be impacted”, the airport said, urging carriers to re-route long-haul flights to alternate EU hubs.
![Brussels Airport warns travellers as 12 March national strike forces complete shutdown of departures]()
If the disruption forces travellers to modify itineraries or extend their stay, VisaHQ can help by fast-tracking any necessary visa adjustments and supplying up-to-date entry guidance through its Belgium resource page (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/), sparing passengers and employers from last-minute immigration surprises.
The strike is the fourth time in nine months that industrial action has paralysed the country’s principal gateway. Security agents, ground handlers and air-traffic technicians will walk out together, leaving no viable staffing contingency. The airport’s operations centre estimates that up to 550 movements and 72,000 passenger journeys could be disrupted, including thousands of commuters on the Brussels–London and Brussels–New York corporate corridors. Multinational companies have been advised to invoke remote-work policies or shift meetings online. Travel-management firms say hotel occupancy in the EU capital is already tightening as travellers try to advance or delay trips. The Flemish Travel Agents Association puts the immediate loss for the tourism and MICE sector at €6–7 million, with wider supply-chain shocks expected if cargo operations are also curtailed. Employers should note that the strike coincides with EU Council and European Parliament sittings in Brussels; access roads around the EU Quarter are likely to see protest marches, compounding delays. Companies with posted workers arriving from non-EU sites are advised to check the validity windows of work permits and biometric residence cards in case re-entry is postponed. Brussels Airport said it will publish an updated arrivals list 48 hours before the strike, but urged passengers not to travel to the airport unless their airline explicitly confirms a flight will operate.
If the disruption forces travellers to modify itineraries or extend their stay, VisaHQ can help by fast-tracking any necessary visa adjustments and supplying up-to-date entry guidance through its Belgium resource page (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/), sparing passengers and employers from last-minute immigration surprises.
The strike is the fourth time in nine months that industrial action has paralysed the country’s principal gateway. Security agents, ground handlers and air-traffic technicians will walk out together, leaving no viable staffing contingency. The airport’s operations centre estimates that up to 550 movements and 72,000 passenger journeys could be disrupted, including thousands of commuters on the Brussels–London and Brussels–New York corporate corridors. Multinational companies have been advised to invoke remote-work policies or shift meetings online. Travel-management firms say hotel occupancy in the EU capital is already tightening as travellers try to advance or delay trips. The Flemish Travel Agents Association puts the immediate loss for the tourism and MICE sector at €6–7 million, with wider supply-chain shocks expected if cargo operations are also curtailed. Employers should note that the strike coincides with EU Council and European Parliament sittings in Brussels; access roads around the EU Quarter are likely to see protest marches, compounding delays. Companies with posted workers arriving from non-EU sites are advised to check the validity windows of work permits and biometric residence cards in case re-entry is postponed. Brussels Airport said it will publish an updated arrivals list 48 hours before the strike, but urged passengers not to travel to the airport unless their airline explicitly confirms a flight will operate.
