The airport’s management said it was “very surprised that this action is taking place,” as the unions issued a notice of action on Sept. 4 calling for a possible strike “from Sept. 19,” the airport told the Belgian press.
“It is regrettable that passengers are being held hostage by these wild actions,” said Nathalie Pierard, the airport's spokesperson.
The airport's operational capacity was preventively reduced to 15 percent but this morning “we were not able to board passengers on planes,” Pierard told RTL Infor.
The dispute concerns working conditions, and union representatives also complained about an “aggressive management policy.”
The airport's flight schedule shows that two flights were diverted to Liège airport, while the rest were canceled, POLITICO reported.
Charleroi airport, located at about 60 kilometers south of Brussels, is mainly used by low-cost airlines Ryanair and Wizz Air, with a small number of flights operated by Air Corsica and Pegasus.
With nearly 9.4 million passengers in 2023, it's the second busiest airport in Belgium after Brussels Airport.
MA/PR