If you're flying in or out of Brussels South Charleroi in the coming weeks, prepare for disruption. Air traffic controllers at the airport have announced overnight strike action running every night from 10pm to 8am, continuing until Saturday 10 October, and the cancellations are already piling up.
On Thursday 17 September, the airport confirmed that 66 flights due to arrive or depart that day and the next had been axed. Flightradar24 data showed 11 consecutive Ryanair arrivals into Brussels cancelled on Thursday night alone, among them a service from Manchester. Friday brought more of the same, with Ryanair and Wizz Air routes grounded throughout the day, including a flight to Manchester. Not everything was affected — two UK-bound flights from Manchester and Newcastle landed on schedule — but the pattern is patchy enough that assumptions are risky.
The root of the problem lies with Skeyes, Belgium's national air traffic control provider, which is embroiled in an ongoing social dispute in Charleroi. The airport has distanced itself from the conflict, saying it has no influence over the outcome and pointing frustrated passengers towards their airlines. It has promised to keep posting general updates on its official channels.
The UK Foreign Office has weighed in too, advising anyone travelling via Charleroi to follow local news and check directly with their airline or tour operator about potential delays and closures. There's a second warning worth noting: a large demonstration is expected in central Brussels on Friday 9 October, and while it's unclear whether public transport will be affected, it's worth factoring into any city plans that day.
Crucially, Brussels Airport — the city's main hub at Zaventem — is running as normal. That's a useful escape hatch if you have flexibility: carriers including Ryanair, Wizz Air, Volotea, Pegasus Airlines and Air Corsica all operate from Charleroi, and some of their routes are also served from the main airport or Brussels' rail connections.
Who does this matter to? Budget travellers especially. Charleroi is a major base for Ryanair and Wizz Air, and it's the airport many UK and European passengers use for cheap flights to Belgium — which also means lots of travellers are unfamiliar with the alternatives and could get caught out by a last-minute cancellation email. If your flight is scheduled during the 10pm-8am strike window, or late at night or early morning in the run-up to 10 October, check its status before you set off for the airport and know your rebooking and refund rights under EU261, which covers cancellations like these.
The practical takeaway: keep an eye on your airline's app rather than the airport's social feeds for flight-specific information, build in a plan B via Brussels Airport if your dates are fixed, and if you're in the city on 9 October, allow extra time to move around the centre. As ever with strikes, the situation can shift quickly in either direction — a resolution at Skeyes could end the disruption early, but until then, treat overnight flights at Charleroi as provisional.
Story originally reported by The Independent Travel.