In Belgium, nearly a thousand flights are at risk due to a strike by air traffic controllers
Air traffic controllers at Charleroi Airport, near Brussels, have announced a strike that will last 24 days. Restrictions will be in effect from September 16 through October 10, during nighttime and morning hours.
The strike at Charleroi Airport will run from September 16 to October 10, from 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.
It was announced by one of the unions representing local air traffic controllers. The strike was prompted by failed negotiations with Skeyes, the company responsible for air traffic control in Belgium.
A labor dispute has been ongoing for some time between the union and Skeyes regarding the payment of night shift premiums to air traffic controllers at Charleroi.
According to preliminary estimates, the strike could affect 487 morning and 345 night flights.
Skeyes warns that the final scale of disruptions could be greater, as the cancellation or rescheduling of night flights could also affect the next morning’s schedule.
“At this stage, it is not yet possible to fully assess the additional impact of these actions on the flight schedules of the airlines concerned. When planes cannot return to Charleroi at night, this may also have consequences for the first flights they are scheduled to operate from Charleroi the following morning,” Skeyes stated.
Skeyes recommends that passengers planning to depart from Charleroi check the current status of their flight directly with the carrier before traveling to the airport.
Passengers should be aware of possible schedule changes due to the ongoing air traffic controllers’ strike.
Charleroi is Belgium’s second-busiest airport. It is located approximately 60 km from Brussels.
The airport plays an important role in budget air travel: a significant portion of low-cost flights arrive here, carrying passengers bound for the Belgian capital.
This was reported by Le Soir.
Earlier in France, a strike by electricity sector workers on the night of September 14 reduced available generating capacity by 6.5 gigawatts. This is according to data from EDF.
In France, employees of the public broadcaster Radio France began a two-day strike over the appointment of Charles Sapin, deputy editor-in-chief of the weekly Valeurs Actuelles, as a political commentator for the radio station France Inter. Unions accuse him of promoting far-right ideas on the eve of the presidential election.
