Flights and trains at a standstill in Belgium due to nationwide strike

At one Brussels airport, all departures are cancelled after midday as “security can no longer be guaranteed”

Travel in Belgium is severely affected today (13 January) by a nationwide strike.

Brussels Airport says they expected a “major impact” on flights and local, regional and international trains are also affected.

Public transport is also majorly affected and many schools are closed, with tens of thousands of teachers expected to attend a rally in Brussels.

The strike was called over possible pension reforms which are being discussed by parties trying to form a new government following Belgium’s June 2024 election.

Brussels airport: Are flights running?

According to a spokesperson for Brussels international airport, 40 per cent of flights are cancelled today. Delays to flights that are running are likely.

Cancellations happening throughout the day and evening.

Arrivals at Brussels airport are less affected than departures but there are still many cancellations.

Bear in mind that services within the airport, such as baggage and immigration, are likely to be slower than usual due to staff shortages.

What is the advice to passengers at Brussels airport?

Brussels airport said in a statement: “Passengers of affected flights will be informed by their airline or (online) travel agency”

You can check the status of your flight via the Brussels airport website or your airline’s website, app or social media channels.

Brussels South Charleroi Airport: All flights cancelled

Brussels South Charleroi Airport, which is used by budget airlines like Ryanair, has no flights departing after 12pm today.

In a statement the airport said: “Following the national demonstration planned for today in Brussels, Charleroi airport is facing a major unforeseen shortage of staff from the external security provider.

Security can no longer be guaranteed. As a result, all flights departing from Charleroi airport after 12pm have been cancelled until the end of the day. Arrivals are scheduled as normal.”

Charleroi airport’s advice to passengers is to “contact their airline”.

Belgium strikes: Are trains cancelled?

Many staff who work on the trains and at stations are on strike there local and regional trains are severely affected, with many cancellations.

For local and regiunal trains, you can find full details of which services are and aren’t running from national train operator SNCB here.

For international trains to and from Belgium:

Eurostar, TGV INOUI, ICE and OUIGO Brussels-Paris: all trains will be running as scheduled.
Eurocity Direct (Brussels-Amsterdam): in both directions, 14 trains out of 16 will be running.
EuroCity (Brussels-Rotterdam): 10 trains out of 16 will be running from Brussels to Rotterdam / 9 trains out of 16 will be running back from Rotterdam to Brussels.
Nightjet : The train to Vienna and Berlin on Monday 13/01 will depart from Cologne. Between Cologne and Brussels/Liège, passengers can use ICE trains.
Regional cross-border trains: 30 per cent of trains running on the Liège-Maastricht and Arlon-Luxembourg services, 25% running on the Charleroi-Maubeuge service. No trains on the Kortrijk-Lille, Tournai-Lille, Antwerp-Roosendaal, Liège-Aachen and Liège-Luxembourg services.

Full details on international trains and claiming a refund for cancelled services can be found here.

Are passengers entitled to compensation due to a strike?

Under EU law, if a flight is cancelled, the airline has to offer your a refund or an alternative flights.

If your flight is delayed, you may be entitled to refunds for unplanned expenses, such as food and accommodation.

Contact your airline or travel agent to claim your refunds, though beware it can take months for your money to arrive.

According to EU law, rail passengers within the bloc are also entitled to compensation.

If your train is delayed but you choose to travel anyway, you may still be eligible for a partial or full refund. This usually depends on how late your train arrives at its destination.

If your train is delayed by more than 60 minutes, you can choose not to travel and will receive a full refund for your ticket.

Alternatively, you can choose to travel at a later date.

SNCB has full details on how to claim a refund here.

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