Passengers to brace themselves for another travel disruption as pilots announce strike

BRUGES - Mid-September seems to be tough, especially for passengers set to depart from Belgium as pilots have warned of a fresh strike.

Ryanair pilots based in Belgium have set September 14 and 15 for protest, claiming that the airline is refusing to discuss their demands. 

The strike will only impact Brussels South Charleroi Airport while the Brussels Airport in Zaventem, a municipality in Belgium, is served only by foreign-based Ryanair Aircraft. This marks the fourth strike in a span of two months, all calling for the same demands.

Interestingly, September 14 marks the day of the Annual General Meeting of Ryanair shareholders in Dublin, where the airlines’ headquarters are located. Pilots are pushing for demands so that the Annual General Meeting discusses their issues. 

As far as the demands are concerned, they include reinstating the 20 percent salary cut that pilots accepted during the COVID-19 chaos. Besides, these unions ask reduced workload as the carrier wants to reduce the number of off days. 

The pilots have emphasized their desire for greater involvement from the Minister of Justice in ensuring their protection against the airline's non-compliance with legal regulations.

In mid-August, Belgian Ryanair pilots carried out a strike that resulted in approximately 25 percent of flights being cancelled.

In the strikes on July 15-16, more than 80 percent of Ryanair's pilots participated in the protest, leading to the cancellation of 120 flights at Charleroi Airport. Similarly, during the subsequent strikes on July 29-30, nearly 100 flights were canceled.

These strikes had a significant effect on flights to numerous countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, France, Italy, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Sweden.

To mitigate potential disruptions arising from the strikes, Brussels Charleroi Airport advises passengers with flights scheduled during strike periods to verify their flight status before heading to the airport. The airport has implemented a notification system, whereby passengers will be alerted via text or email if their flight is canceled, up to 48 hours before departure.