Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL) is again bracing for disruption after talks between skeyes management and the SLFP/VSOA and CSC unions collapsed over the weekend. From 22:00 on Monday 21 September until 08:00 on Tuesday morning, the control tower will be unmanned for a sixth consecutive night as controllers protest the absence of a dedicated night-work allowance. The 24-night action started on 16 September and is scheduled to run until 10 October. Airport data show that about 160 flight movements have been cancelled so far, with another 34 departures or arrivals scrapped for the night of 21–22 September and 21 flights retimed into daytime slots. Low-cost carrier Ryanair, which bases 15 aircraft at CRL, has borne the brunt of the cancellations but TUI fly and Wizz Air have also had to re-route aircraft. Early-morning rotations to business hubs such as Manchester, Milan and Prague are among those affected, creating knock-on crew-rostering and slot-allocation headaches for corporate travel planners. Behind the dispute lies a grey area in Belgian aviation law: although CRL officially closes overnight, delays regularly keep the runway open after 22:00 and allow arrivals before 08:00. Controllers say the existing €1,000 shift premium does not compensate for irregular hours; management counters that the airport is “technically closed” and any higher premium would undermine its low-cost model. In a written offer sent on 20 September skeyes proposed a €10,000 gross annual bonus from 2028, plus €10,000 in transitional payments, on condition that the strike be suspended. Unions have yet to respond. For globally mobile staff and expatriates based in Wallonia, the strike is already forcing last-minute detours via Brussels Zaventem, Liège or Lille. Travel-management companies are advising passengers booked on departures before 08:00 or arrivals after 22:00 to monitor flight status up to the last minute and, where possible, to avoid overnighting aircraft at CRL. Companies operating just-in-time supply chains from the airport’s cargo zone are also warning of potential delays if the dispute drags on. With Belgium’s peak autumn travel period looming and no mediation date on the calendar, the federal Mobility Minister faces mounting pressure to step in—even though aviation labour relations are technically outside his remit. If no deal is reached this week, business-travel stakeholders fear the industrial action could spill over into the extended school-holiday weekend at the start of October, amplifying both financial and reputational damage for Belgium’s second-busiest airport.
Source: Strike Tracker
