Brussels Airport labour shortage may cause trouble during summer months

The companies operating Brussels Airport are having trouble finding employees. At the moment there are more than 1,000 vacancies. "Worst case scenario, this could have an impact on operations during the busy summer months," airport chief Arnaud Feist said.

There are vacancies for a whole range of jobs, from waiters in the restaurants, to baggage handlers, to engineers and pilots. According to Feist, the airport employs 64,000 people in total. "We just can't find them," says Feist. "If we don't find enough baggage handlers, for example, there could be operational consequences."

The airport is in need of many new employees now that the restrictions on travelling have been lifted and vacationers have found their way back to the aeroplane. "We're currently at about two-thirds activity compared to the precovid period,” Feist said. Business travelers are still lagging behind. "It remains a question how quickly business travelers will return. The September-October period, with traditionally a lot of business travel, will be an important test." Brussels Airport Company is expecting a "slightly positive" financial result this year, after two loss years due to the corona impact. 

In the coming months, the airport operator will advertise the vacancies as much as possible and organise job fairs, for example. Many of the vacancies are posted on aviato.be, Brussels Airport's job website.
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(HC)

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