Belgium’s second-busiest passenger hub, Brussels-South Charleroi Airport (CRL), experienced serious surface-access disruption on Sunday, 2 August 2026, as private vehicles queued for up to an hour just to exit the Kiss & Ride zone. According to eyewitness accounts shared on social media at around 18:00 local time, the access road and short-stay parking lanes became grid-locked when a series of late-afternoon outbound flights coincided with arriving holiday traffic. With the Entry/Exit System (EES) already stretching processing times inside the terminal, the external log-jam compounded stress for business travellers rushing to evening departures. Airport police were forced to redirect motorists through overflow lanes, but the single-lane bottleneck at the barrier exit severely limited throughput. Travellers reported missing bag-drop cut-offs and paying on-the-spot re-booking fees as a result. Ride-hail drivers also highlighted financial losses, noting that a typical 10-minute airport run ballooned into a 70-minute, fixed-fare journey. Airport operator BSCA has invested heavily in expanding airside capacity but critics say ground-side road infrastructure has not kept pace with record traffic. CRL handled 9.8 million passengers in 2025—up 14 % year-on-year—yet the drop-off zone still relies on a single barrier exit installed a decade ago. A master-plan released in May includes a multi-level forecourt and dedicated ride-hail lane, but construction is not slated to begin until early 2027. For mobility managers, yesterday’s incident is a reminder to allow generous buffers when scheduling intra-EU day trips through Charleroi during the peak summer season. Companies with tight connection windows should consider booking flights from Brussels-Zaventem (BRU) or arranging pre-paid parking to bypass Kiss & Ride congestion until permanent infrastructure upgrades are delivered.
Source: Reddit eyewitness report
