Brussels Airport has warned passengers that a nationwide day of industrial action this Friday will ground roughly 100 flights, after staff of ground-handling company Alyzia confirmed they will join the protest. The airport told UK daily *The Independent* that only half of the 200 flights normally handled by Alyzia are expected to operate, affecting long-haul carriers such as Emirates, United Airlines and Brussels Airlines as well as several European services. Flights handled by rival service provider Aviapartner should depart as scheduled. Business travellers are advised to verify which handler their airline uses before heading to the airport. A list of airlines and their ground-handling partners has been posted on the airport’s website, and real-time cancellations will appear on the live departures board once airlines file the data. The airport is urging passengers to allow extra time and to keep contact details up to date so that airlines can re-route or refund them quickly. The 9 October action is part of a larger demonstration organised by the socialist FGTB/ABVV and Christian CSC/ACV unions against proposed federal budget cuts. Although the walk-out formally targets public-sector austerity, the participation of aviation workers means corporate mobility managers must prepare contingency plans for both passenger movements and time-critical cargo. A further public-services strike is scheduled for Monday, 12 October; Brussels Airport currently expects no direct impact on flights that day, but it does foresee major disruption to public transport links serving the airport. Travellers should therefore monitor the websites of NMBS/SNCB, STIB-MIVB and De Lijn for last-minute timetable changes and consider booking taxis or hotel shuttles where possible. With Europe’s autumn conference season in full swing and many multinationals routing traffic through Brussels for EU meetings, the cancellations come at a particularly inconvenient time. Companies running tightly-scheduled expatriate assignments or fly-in-fly-out projects should alert assignees, check ticket conditions for flexible re-booking options, and remind travellers that travel insurance often excludes strike-related costs unless an upgrade has been purchased.
Source: The Independent
