A Month of Overnight Disruption
Air traffic controllers at Brussels South Charleroi Airport will walk off the job every night for nearly a month, beginning 16 September 2026. The industrial action follows collapsed negotiations over night-shift pay and will run from 10:00 pm to 8:00 am each night through the morning of 10 October.
The timing targets a particularly sensitive window. Charleroi officially closes during part of the night, but aircraft still land during those hours, especially Ryanair planes returning to their home base after completing final rotations. Early-morning departures and late-night arrivals face the highest risk of delay or cancellation, though no airline has yet released a detailed list of affected services.
Knock-on effects complicate the picture. An aircraft stranded overnight cannot operate its next scheduled flight, potentially cascading disruption through the day. Airport businesses and employees whose shifts depend on flight operations may also face interruption.
The Pay Dispute Behind the Stoppage
The disagreement centres on night allowances, the extra pay employees receive for working unsociable hours. Controllers at Charleroi want their allowance raised to match rates paid to colleagues in other units, according to Lennert Mervilde, a representative of the VSOA trade union.
Skeyes, the organisation that manages Belgian air traffic control, says controllers are demanding a 60 per cent increase to an allowance that already exceeds €1,000 per shift. Management has refused, arguing that the airport is closed at night and therefore does not justify premium night rates.
The union disputes that logic. Mervilde points out that controllers still manage traffic during the night despite the official closure, citing an agreement between Charleroi Airport and Ryanair that allows the airline's based aircraft to land outside standard operating hours. One aircraft arrived at 5:20 am during the previous week, he noted.
A strike notice was first filed at the end of July, but the planned action did not proceed at the time. Several rounds of mediation have since ended without agreement, leaving the union with few other options. "Strike action is now the only option left after the negotiations broke down," Mervilde said, though he added that the union hopes disruption will remain limited and is waiting for management to propose a new initiative.
A Wider Battle Over Digital Towers
The night-pay dispute sits within a broader argument over the future of air traffic control in Belgium's Walloon region. Skeyes plans to manage traffic at both Charleroi and Liège airports from a new digital control centre in Namur, replacing traditional towers beside the runway with remote camera feeds and digital systems.
The shift has created friction. Controllers worry about working conditions, job security, and the practical implications of managing busy airspace from a distant location. The night-allowance dispute has become a flashpoint in that wider tension.
Skeyes considers the scale of the planned action disproportionate. "A ten-hour work stoppage every night for 24 consecutive nights could have very significant consequences," management warned. The organisation says the strikes may disrupt not only flights and passengers but also airport operations, airline schedules, and the livelihoods of workers whose jobs depend on flight activity.
What Travellers Should Watch
No clear resolution appears imminent. It remains uncertain whether further talks will take place before the first night of action on 16 September.
Passengers with flights scheduled to arrive at Charleroi after 10:00 pm or depart before 8:00 am should monitor airline communications closely. Disruption may be most severe during the first few nights as airlines adjust schedules and reroute aircraft.
Charleroi is Belgium's second-busiest airport and a key base for Ryanair, which operates a significant portion of its flights. Any prolonged disruption could ripple through the airline's network, affecting connections across Europe. The airport has not yet issued guidance on how it plans to manage the strikes or whether contingency measures will be put in place.
