Charleroi Airport Grounds All Flights as National Strike Looms on 12 May

Business travellers planning to use Brussels South Charleroi Airport tomorrow will need to rethink their itineraries. The airport confirmed on 11 May that every passenger flight scheduled for Tuesday, 12 May 2026 has been cancelled because of the 24-hour national strike called by Belgium’s three main union confederations. Management said it cannot guarantee minimum staffing levels in security screening, air-side operations or firefighting, making safe operations impossible.



For international travellers suddenly confronted with overnight stays or detours via other Schengen hubs, VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork side of the crisis. Its self-service portal and live experts—accessible at https://www.visahq.com/belgium/—can fast-check passport validity, arrange emergency renewals and advise on transit-visa requirements, helping clients avoid additional delays while airlines re-route them.

The walk-out is part of a broader protest over pension reform and purchasing-power concerns, but its impact on mobility is immediate and far-reaching. Charleroi handles some 40 percent of Belgium’s low-cost and holiday traffic; on a typical Tuesday in May more than 130 departures and arrivals are processed, carrying roughly 22,000 passengers. Airlines including Ryanair, Wizz Air and TUI Fly have begun emailing re-booking options or offering refunds. Corporate mobility managers have activated remote-work contingencies and are advising assignees and commuters to avoid connecting itineraries through Charleroi on 12 May and the morning of 13 May, when queues are likely as operations restart. Companies with time-sensitive cargo should explore road or rail alternatives to Liège Airport or Brussels Airport, although both are also braced for disruption. Travellers whose trips are essential are urged to monitor airline notifications closely, confirm that any re-routed connections remain within Schengen time-limits, and check insurance coverage for strike-related delays. Under EU261, carriers are obliged to refund or re-route but are not required to pay monetary compensation when cancellations are caused by nationwide industrial action. For workers on assignment, employers must still cover accommodation and daily allowances until safe onward travel is possible. The shutdown underscores how nationwide labour actions can ripple across Europe’s multimodal transport chain. With the busy Ascension Day “bridge weekend” beginning on Thursday, mobility professionals should expect elevated passenger volumes once normal operations resume and anticipate knock-on effects on hotel availability and car-rental fleets.