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Brussels Airport is poised to cancel 110 of its 203 scheduled incoming flights on Wednesday, a spokesperson confirmed, adding to an unspecified number of departing flights already scrapped due to a nationwide strike.
The cancellations, initially reported by Belgian broadcaster VRT, will require airlines to reroute affected passengers.
No further cancellations are currently anticipated among the remaining 93 incoming flights. The industrial action, protesting government austerity plans, involves a portion of the airport’s security and ground-handling staff.
Brussels Airport said in a statement: “Due to the national industrial action on Wednesday, 26 November in which the staff of the security and handling service provider is participating, we unfortunately expect major disruptions to our airport operations on that day.”
Almost all arrivals are likely to be grounded. British Airways has already cancelled its links between London Heathrow and Brussels for the day.
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Brussels Airport added that it will be up to the airlines to reroute the cancelled flights and that no cancellations are currently expected among the remaining 93 incoming flights (Associated Press)
Marie Helene Ska, general secretary of the Belgian trade union confederation ACV-CSC, said ahead of the strikes: “This escalating strike strategy is necessary.
“The alternative – allowing the austerity measures to proceed unchallenged – would mean accepting a fundamental restructuring of Belgium’s social model, transforming it from one of Europe’s more protective welfare states into something far more precarious for working people.”
The strikes comes as the Belgian government on Monday reached an agreement on its budget for next year after months of tense negotiations.
Prime Minister Bart De Wever earlier this month set a Christmas deadline for his bickering five-party coalition to reach a deal, after they continued to disagree on how to repair government finances.
Agreement was reached during marathon talks that started on Sunday morning and went until early on Monday.
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The industrial action, protesting government austerity plans, involves a portion of Brussels Airport’s security and ground-handling staff (JASPER JACOBS/Belga/AFP via Getty Images)
The deal includes tax hikes on share purchases, airplane tickets and natural gas and a new tax on banks, financial daily De Tijd reported.
Together with cuts in government spending, this should lower the government deficit by 9.2 billion euros ($10.6 billion) by 2029.
The budget deficit of the euro zone’s sixth-largest economy is set to hit 4.5% of gross domestic product this year, with debt of 104.7 per cent of GDP, according to the central bank – well above the maximum agreed under EU budget rules.
Further strikes by rail workers – who face a higher retirement age – are planned for the New Year.
