Belgium airports impacted by another nationwide strike

Another nationwide strike is taking place in Belgium on Wednesday, 25 June, and it’s going to cause significant disruption at the country’s main airports – EBBR/Brussels and EBCI/Charleroi.

While the focus is on airport staffing and security issues, the timing overlaps with the 2025 NATO Summit (June 24–25), which brings additional airspace restrictions in neighboring Dutch airspace.

The last major strike on March 31 didn’t involve ATC, but airport operations were still severely disrupted. Airlines had to cancel all departures – and in some cases arrivals – at both EBBR and EBCI. BizAv at Brussels saw only minor delays to services, while at Charleroi, availability was still being evaluated on the day.

For the upcoming strike on June 25, local sources again said that ATC will not participate, so no impact to Belgium overflights.

In addition to flight disruptions, significant delays to public ground transport are expected across Belgium, affecting trains and local services. Plan for potential delays getting to the airport.

Here’s what we currently know about the impact of the strike at the main airports:

EBBR/Brussels

Notam issued requiring airlines to cancel all departures that require passenger security screening:

A2136/25 - AD LTD DUE TO A NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL ACTION - FORCE MAJEURE.
STAFFING LEVELS FOR MANY OPERATIONAL PARTNERS AT EBBR WILL BE
SEVERELY IMPACTED.  NO FLIGHTS WILL BE OPERATED WITH LOCAL
DEPARTING PAX DUE TO LACK OF SECURITY SCREENING. TO AVOID MAJOR
DISRUPTIONS, ALL AIRLINES ARE URGED TO REDUCE THEIR FLIGHT PROGRAM
ACCORDINGLY. NO IMPACT ON GENAV.

The airport has announced that no departing flights requiring passenger screening will be possible, due to the full participation of security staff in the strike. Only cargo flights, ferry flights without crew requiring screening, and OSS transfer-only departures (where passengers remain airside) are expected to operate. Arrivals may still be possible, but airlines are advised to avoid overnight transits or passengers needing re-screening.

For BizAv, the outlook is better the local FBO has confirmed they do not expect any disruption to services, as long as ATC remains operational.
Contact: hostess.belgium@execujet.com

EBCI/Charleroi

The airport has confirmed a full cancellation of both arrivals and departures on June 25 due to strike-related staffing shortages:

A2107/25 - DUE TO A NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL ACTION FORCE MAJEURE, STAFFING LEVEL
OF MANY OPR PARTNERS WILL BE SEVERELY IMPACTED. AT THIS STAGE 100
PERCENT REDUCTION FOR ARRIVING AND DEPARTING FLIGHTS IS REQUIRED.
AIRLINES ARE REQUESTED TO CANCEL THEIR ARRIVING AND DEPARTING
FLIGHTS IN THIS TIMEFRAME.

The local FBO has confirmed that BizAv operations will not be affected.
Contact: general.aviation@charleroi-airport.com

NATO Summit: Potential Regional Impact

At this stage, there is no indication that Belgian airspace will be directly impacted, but that could still change, especially with the 2025 NATO Summit taking place in The Hague on June 24-25.

The Netherlands has implemented airspace and airport restrictions from June 18-27. The most notable is a full ban on BizJet operations at several major airports – EHAM/Amsterdam, EHRD/Rotterdam, and EHEH/Eindhoven – from June 23-25. Only airline flights, state aircraft, and other specially approved operations with government PPR are permitted. EHLE/Lelystad will be completely closed during this period.

While these restrictions apply to Dutch airspace and airports, they may reduce overall airspace capacity in the wider region, including Belgium, especially if traffic reroutes or flow management measures are introduced. For full details, check SUP 8/25.

Belgium airports impacted by another nationwide strike