There is a national “manifestation” (must be a strike?) in Belgium today (February 13, 2024) that affects ground handling companies and air traffic controllers.
All flights from Brussels Airport are canceled for the entire day today, and the Belgian airspace is closed, which may affect and delay flights scheduled to fly over Belgium.
Announcement from Brussels Airport:
National manifestation on Thursday 13 February
What is happening?
Due to the national demonstration on Thursday, February 13th and the announced strike by air traffic controller, the Belgian airspace will be closed and no airspace traffic will be possible over Belgium on that day from 6:45 AM to 10:15 PM.
No departing and arriving flights at Brussels Airport
Following the closure of the airspace on February 13th from 6:45 AM to 10:15 PM, all arriving flights at Brussels Airport are cancelled from 6h45AM and 10:15PM.
Due to the strike at other operational services, all departing flights, including early and late flights, are cancelled all day.
Advice for the passengers
Airlines will contact passengers of affected flights directly and inform them about the options. We ask to not come to the airport that day.
We regret the inconvenience caused by this union action.
Busy day expected on February 14th
Due to the rescheduling of many passengers, we expect a very busy day at Brussels Airport on Friday.
We recommend to come to the airport in time and to check our online tool or our app to know at what time to arrive for your flight
Air Passengers Rights EC 261/2004
As this strike is beyond the airline’s control, there is no compensation due to delays and cancellations due to this activity.
Passengers, however, are eligible for Duty to Care, which means paid accommodation and meals, and airlines must rebook affected passengers at the earliest opportunity using other airlines if necessary.
Conclusion
There has not been much strike activity in Europe lately beyond Finnair’s dispute with its pilot union.
The airlines don’t have anything to do with the strike that is taking place in Belgium today that results from the country’s airspace being closed for commercial traffic.
Tomorrow must be a hectic traffic day in Brussels, as all the affected passengers from today’s flights try to get in and out of the country.
