Brussels Airport entered Friday, 9 October 2026 with fewer movements than usual after ground-handling company Alyzia confirmed it would join Belgium’s 24-hour general strike. By mid-morning the airport told reporters that “about one hundred flights” – roughly one flight in eight – had been scrapped, while 400 departures and arrivals were still expected to operate. Although the walk-out is limited to one of the airport’s two handlers, the impact is being felt disproportionately by corporate travellers. Alyzia’s customer list reads like a who’s-who of long-haul and legacy carriers – United, Emirates and Brussels Airlines among them – meaning premium inter-continental links are bearing the brunt of the cancellations. Flights handled by Aviapartner, including British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair, are running normally, but load-factors have spiked as re-booked passengers scramble for seats. The industrial action is part of a wider protest against pension reforms and real-wage erosion. Belgium has experienced four national strikes this year; the latest comes at the start of the autumn conference season when multinational firms typically rotate staff through their Brussels EU liaison offices. Travel managers have been forced to activate contingency plans, rerouting executives through Paris-CDG, Amsterdam-Schiphol or Düsseldorf, and leaning on rail options such as Eurostar and Thalys. Airport authorities warn that knock-on disruption could stretch into the weekend as displaced passengers attempt to re-join the network, and baggage back-logs clear. A second public-sector strike is already scheduled for Monday, 12 October, though – at present – it is not expected to affect flights. Practical advice for travellers is straightforward: verify your ground-handler, monitor airline apps for rolling updates, allow extra time for possible queues at security, and keep an eye on Brussels public-transport channels before deciding how to reach the terminal. Those with urgent meetings may find it faster to fly into neighbouring hubs and complete the journey by road or rail.
Source: The Independent
