Belgium grinds to a halt: Flights canceled, transit disrupted
All departures from Brussels' Zaventem airport and Charleroi airport near Brussels have been canceled due to a general strike in Belgium. In Brussels, only one metro line, four tram lines, and six bus lines are operating. The protest is related to the government's proposed changes to the pension system.
Since Monday morning, Brussels Zaventem airport has appeared deserted. Both the airport and the national airline, Brussels Airlines, informed passengers in advance that all 244 flights from Brussels were canceled that day; only a few passengers arrived at Zaventem, having missed this information.
According to announcements, the airport is supposed to receive several planes landing in the capital, but their number has been significantly reduced due to a lack of ground staff and the inability to ensure safety for arrivals. Since the arrival information on the capital airport’s website was also not updated on Monday, passengers must contact the carrier themselves regarding this matter.
The situation is similar at Charleroi airport near Brussels, which serves low-cost airlines, where all departures and arrivals to Belgium were canceled on Monday.
However, the paralysis has not only affected the airports. In Brussels itself, only one of the four metro lines is operating—the one that reaches most of the capital’s hospitals—but trains are running with limited frequency. Similarly, four of the 13 tram lines and six of the 35 available bus lines in Brussels are operating.
Local carrier STIB/MIVB advised passengers to follow the current situation on social media and consider alternative means of transport, like scooters.
Paralysis not only in Brussels
The paralysis extended beyond Brussels on Monday. In Flanders, only half of the trains were operating, while in Wallonia, no buses ventured onto the streets of Charleroi, and in other towns, public transport was halved. Ports are also paralyzed—in Antwerp alone, 30 ships are waiting to enter or leave the port, with 11 vessels “trapped” on the North Sea. However, according to Belgian media, many shipping companies anticipated problems and arranged for their ships to leave the port earlier, resulting in noticeable increases in maritime traffic in recent days.
This is already the third general strike by trade unions in Belgium this year. During previous strikes, most flights to and from the country's capital were also canceled, but the paralysis was not as severe.
Media are referring to Monday’s strike as a serious "wake-up call" for Prime Minister Bart De Wever's government. The unions are particularly protesting against the plans of the new ruling coalition to change the pension system, including methods for calculating civil service pensions, the elimination of special pension plans for certain professions, including military and police, and the abolition of automatic wage indexation. The changes will also affect options for early retirement. The coalition's plans also include reducing access to unemployment benefits.
Public opinion surveys revealed that, on average, every second Belgian supports the strikes.
