Brussels Airlines pilots' strike to continue on Wednesday

The Brussels Airlines pilot strike started on Monday with another day of strikes due to take place on Wednesday. Tuesday should see flights arriving at and taking off from Brussels Airport as scheduled.

According to Flanders News, the airline was forced to cancel three-quarters of Monday’s flights, both arriving and departing, totally some 209 flights. The same is expected for Wednesday unless talks taking place on Monday lead to an agreement between management and unions.

Passengers are asked to check the Brussels Airlines website, which has complete information on which flights will take off and arrive on schedule. Travellers booked on flights on Wednesday should check the latest flight information directly before leaving for the airport, said the airline.

Passengers whose flight has been cancelled are being refunded the full cost of the ticket or the option to reschedule for a later date at no charge. “Despite the fact that we do everything we can to reduce the inconveniences to our guests to a minimum, the strike severely impacts the travel plans of our customers, for which we wish to sincerely apologise,” said Thibault Demoulin, COO of Brussels Airlines. “We have mobilized a maximum of staff and have increased the capacity of our service centre to assist our guests as much as possible with rebooking.”

Brussels Airlines was founded in 2006, a merger between Virgin Express and SN Brussels Airlines – itself a follow-up to Sabena, the national airline that went bankrupt in 2001. German airline Lufthansa took over BA in 2016.

Brussels Airlines employs some 3,500 people and operates about 300 flights a day. It connects Brussels to 90 destinations in Europe, North America, Africa and India. This is the second strike in the airline's history.

Photo: Eric Lalmand/Belga