Travellers passing through Belgium should expect a difficult day on Tuesday, May 12th. Almost exactly three months to the day after the March 12th strike which led to the cancellation of all flights from Brussels Airport, a new strike will affect the operations of both airline companies and public transport. Trains, however, should run normally, as no prior notice has been given to SNCB.
As the trade unions mobilise against the pension reform and an attack on automatic wage indexation proposed by the government, Brussels Airport expects " a limitation on the available staffing levels within certain service providers And therefore, to cancellation of a large number of departures in addition to an impact on some arriving flights ".
Consequently, according to Belgian media reports, Brussels Airlines is expected to cancel around 601 flights on that day, with long-haul flights being the hardest hit. For its part, Iberia has also warned that some of its flights may be affected and is offering passengers the option to reschedule flights operated by Iberia, Iberia Express or Iberia Regional Air Nostrum.
According to The Last Hour, the airport regrets this situation, highlighting " that this is the ninth national trade union action in less than a year and a half that disproportionately affects the airline sector In February and March 2025, and then again in November, numerous strikes had already disrupted air transport. It should therefore be the same next Tuesday, as Charleroi Airport is also expected to be completely shut down.
