Brussels Airport announced on the morning of 16 June that check-in and boarding had returned to normal after Monday’s surprise strike by Aviapartner staff disrupted around 60 flights and stranded thousands of passengers. The 24-hour stoppage, which began at 03:00 on 15 June, caught airlines and travellers off-guard at the start of the busy summer season. According to airport figures, the walkout affected roughly one in eight departures, with high-frequency short-haul routes bearing the brunt. Emergency contingency teams, supported by the airport’s second ground-handler Alyzia, managed to keep the majority of flights moving, albeit with average delays of 90 minutes and dozens of missed connections. The resolution followed an overnight truce brokered by federal mediators, allowing both sides to meet on Tuesday morning. While Aviapartner employees agreed to resume work, unions stressed that the issues of work pressure, staffing levels and participation in decision-making remain unsolved. A formal conciliation meeting is pencilled in for next Monday; should talks collapse, a renewed strike cannot be ruled out – a concern that materialised the following day when some staff again stopped work. Businesses with travel-critical personnel should therefore treat the current calm as fragile. Travel managers are advised to allow extra connection buffers, pre-tag luggage to final destinations where possible, and brief travellers on their rights to EU Regulation 261 compensation for long delays. Airlines, meanwhile, are updating self-service kiosks to enable automated rebooking in the event of a further walkout.
Source: The Brussels Times
