Brussels South Charleroi Airport (BSCA) has issued a stark warning that a raft of new municipal and federal levies threatens to wipe out its profits and trigger route cuts as early as winter 2026-27. From next year, the City of Charleroi plans to impose a €3 tax on every departing passenger, while the federal government intends to double the existing short-haul ticket tax to €10 in 2027. BSCA calculates that the local tax alone would shave €16.8 million off its bottom line—more than the airport’s current pre-tax profit of roughly €13 million.
Low-cost giant Ryanair, which bases 18 aircraft at Charleroi, has already threatened to remove up to five jets and cancel 13 routes if the tax package goes ahead. Airport management estimates that such a downsizing would cost around 1,100 direct and indirect jobs and slash regional economic output by €95 million a year, largely through lost tourism spending.
![Charleroi Airport Warns Passenger Taxes Could Push Hub Into the Red]()
BSCA’s CEO Christophe Segaert called the speed and scale of the measures “untenable” and urged policymakers to reassess. The airport’s chair, Gilles Samyn, warned that the combined levies could undermine the viability of Belgium’s second-busiest passenger gateway, which handled 9.3 million travellers in 2024. Industry observers note that neighbouring airports in Lille (France) and Eindhoven (Netherlands) have aggressively courted carriers by keeping charges low—raising the risk of traffic leakage across borders.
For employers that rely on Charleroi’s extensive low-cost network to move technicians, sales teams and project staff around Europe, the prospect of route cuts could mean longer itineraries via Brussels or foreign airports—and higher T&E bills. Mobility teams should factor potential schedule changes into 2026 assignment planning and monitor airline announcements in the first quarter of 2026, when carriers finalise their winter timetables.
Low-cost giant Ryanair, which bases 18 aircraft at Charleroi, has already threatened to remove up to five jets and cancel 13 routes if the tax package goes ahead. Airport management estimates that such a downsizing would cost around 1,100 direct and indirect jobs and slash regional economic output by €95 million a year, largely through lost tourism spending.
BSCA’s CEO Christophe Segaert called the speed and scale of the measures “untenable” and urged policymakers to reassess. The airport’s chair, Gilles Samyn, warned that the combined levies could undermine the viability of Belgium’s second-busiest passenger gateway, which handled 9.3 million travellers in 2024. Industry observers note that neighbouring airports in Lille (France) and Eindhoven (Netherlands) have aggressively courted carriers by keeping charges low—raising the risk of traffic leakage across borders.
For employers that rely on Charleroi’s extensive low-cost network to move technicians, sales teams and project staff around Europe, the prospect of route cuts could mean longer itineraries via Brussels or foreign airports—and higher T&E bills. Mobility teams should factor potential schedule changes into 2026 assignment planning and monitor airline announcements in the first quarter of 2026, when carriers finalise their winter timetables.
Source: Aviation24.be
