Air traffic resumes following strike by controllers
Following a strike by air traffic controllers overnight, traffic has resumed at Brussels Airport. Traffic at Liège, Charleroi and Ostend is due to resume at 9:30, ATC operator Skeyes confirms.
Several control tower staff at Liège and Charleroi airports halted operations following the negotiation of an agreement with unions regarding the future digital control centre in Namur. The action was subsequently followed by other Skeyes ATC units, forcing the company to suspend operations overnight.
Passenger flights were delayed and diverted at Zaventem but there were no cancellations on Tuesday morning, a spokesperson for Brussels Airport said. Around 25 flights were expected to depart later than scheduled and two incoming flights were diverted to other airports early in the morning.
“Cargo flights will also be affected, although it is difficult to put a specific figure on that,” said spokesperson Quentin Mertens.
Around 30 departing or arriving flights were cancelled at Charleroi Airport, with other flights experiencing delays. There has also been disruption at Liège Airport, a spokesperson told Belga, with around 20 flights affected by the action.
Courier company DHL has been “significantly affected” by the strike, the company said. “We certainly have at least 12 flights that were unable to depart on time,” said Lorenzo Van de Pol, spokesperson for DHL Aviation. “For us, that naturally has an impact, as shipments will not reach their final destination on time.”
A large proportion of DHL’s operations at Brussels Airport take place at night.
© PHOTO BELPRESS
Related news
