Belgium Strikes Disrupt Flights, Eurostar November 24 To 26

Published on Nov 23, 2025, 7:13 pm CST

9 min read

Key points

Three day Belgium strikes from November 24 to 26 will thin SNCB rail service, hit public services, and culminate in a nationwide walkout
Brussels Airport will cancel all departing flights on November 26 while Brussels South Charleroi will suspend all departures and arrivals that day
Eurostar expects reduced Brussels services and warns that disrupted Belgian trains and metros may cause missed connections even when cross Channel trains run
United, Air Canada, and Lufthansa Group now offer Brussels waivers or flexible policies for many November 25 and 26 itineraries
Foreign ministries warn that strikes in hospitals, schools, and other public services will overlap with transport disruption on different days
Travelers headed to Brussels, Bruges, and Christmas markets should avoid nonessential trips in the strike window and add overnight buffers or reroutes via Paris, Amsterdam, or Frankfurt

Impact

Where Impacts Are Most Likely: Expect the heaviest disruption on November 26 at Brussels Airport, Brussels South Charleroi, and on rail links into Brussels, Antwerp, and Liege
Best Times To Travel: If dates cannot move, aim to arrive on November 23 or early on November 24, or wait until November 27, instead of traveling during the core strike days
Connections And Misconnect Risk: Avoid tight same day rail to air or Eurostar connections at Brussels Midi and Brussels Airport and avoid separate tickets during the strike window
Onward Travel And Changes: Use airline and rail waivers to reroute via Paris, Amsterdam, or Frankfurt and shift trips outside November 24 to 26 wherever possible
What Travelers Should Do Now: Check booking tools and airline apps for Brussels waivers, pre book backup hotels or ground transport, and monitor airport, rail, and foreign ministry alerts closely

Some of the links and widgets on this page are affiliates, which means we may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you.

Belgium strikes November 24 26 will now be harder for travelers to work around, because airports, rail operators, and foreign ministries have set out clearer shutdown plans and more airlines have added rebooking waivers for Brussels trips. The three day action will hit passengers using Brussels Airport (BRU), Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL), and Belgian national rail operator SNCB on routes into Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp, and Liege, as well as visitors heading for Christmas markets. Travelers who cannot move their dates will need overnight buffers, wider routing options, and backup plans for local transport.

At a practical level, the Belgium strikes November 24 26 will thin train service from late November 23, shut almost all Brussels and Charleroi flights on November 26, and raise the risk of missed Eurostar links and Christmas market trips for anyone relying on tight connections through Brussels.

Earlier coverage in Belgium Strikes November 24 To 26 Hit Flights And Trains mapped out the core pattern of a three day national strike rolling through rail, public services, and aviation. This update focuses on new airline waivers, day by day risks, and concrete routing tactics for trips that can no longer be avoided.

Strike Structure And Day By Day Impacts

Belgium's unions have confirmed a coordinated strike sequence that starts with rail, expands into public services, and culminates in a whole economy walkout. SNCB and official advisories say train availability will already be severely limited from 10:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 23, through the end of Wednesday, November 26, with adapted timetables loaded only about one day in advance.

Monday, November 24, is framed as the rail and public transport day. SNCB will run a skeleton timetable across much of the network, and unions have called on regional transit operators STIB MIVB, De Lijn, and TEC to join the action, which means metro, tram, and bus coverage in Brussels and other cities may be patchy or limited to minimum service.

Tuesday, November 25, brings broader public sector disruption. The Bulletin and other local outlets report that strikes will spread to schools, hospitals, and parts of the civil service, which can slow emergency care, routine medical visits, and administrative services, even if some transport options recover slightly. Foreign ministries including Bulgaria's and Italy's warn travelers to expect significant disruption in public services and to monitor local information closely.

Wednesday, November 26, is the peak risk day, with a nationwide strike across public and private sectors and concentrated impact on aviation and high volume intercity travel. Belgian and international reports stress that this final day will have the most severe consequences for flights, rail, and local transport, and that some knock on disruption is likely to spill into November 27, while equipment and crews reset.

Airports, Airlines, And Waivers

Brussels Airport says all passenger flight departures are cancelled on Wednesday, November 26, because portions of its security and ground handling staff will walk out as part of the national strike. Reuters and airport statements add that some arriving flights may also be cancelled and that public transport to and from the airport may be disrupted by wider industrial action.

Brussels South Charleroi Airport has gone further and confirmed that it will suspend every arrival and departure on November 26, citing a lack of essential staff to operate the airport safely. Charleroi is Belgium's second busiest airport and a key low cost gateway for Ryanair, Wizz Air, and TUI, so a full shutdown will strand tens of thousands of travelers and ripple across short haul European schedules.

These airport moves come on top of a growing list of airline waivers. United has issued a Brussels Industrial Action waiver for travel on November 25 and 26, allowing eligible passengers to change dates without a fee in many cases, while Air Canada has activated a goodwill policy for tickets bought on or before November 11 for travel on November 25 or 26, with one free rebooking into flights between November 24 and December 3, subject to cabin and availability rules.

Visa and mobility briefings say Lufthansa Group has also flagged likely schedule adjustments and ex gratia rebooking options linked to the November 26 manifestation, although details are more limited, and standard irregular operations rules will apply for flights that are outright cancelled.

The net effect is that travelers with Brussels tickets on November 25 and 26 now have more tools to move their trips, but availability is already tightening on alternative dates and routings, especially across the busy late November and early December window. Anyone with flexibility should take advantage of waivers now, rather than waiting to see whether their specific flight cancels at the last minute.

Rail, Eurostar, And Local Transport

On the rail side, SNCB warns that far fewer domestic and cross border trains will run from late November 23 through November 26, with service plans posted roughly 24 hours ahead and subject to staff availability. Travelers should expect gaps in service, crowded remaining trains, and possible local station closures, especially outside major hubs.

Eurostar has confirmed that its high speed services will also be affected. The Brussels Times reports that around half of Eurostar trains between Brussels and Paris and a quarter of trains between Amsterdam and London will not run during the strike period, while Eurostar's own travel update page warns that domestic Belgian trains and local public transport can also be heavily disrupted. That combination raises the risk of missed links even when a specific Eurostar train still appears in the timetable.

Within Belgium's cities, strikes at STIB MIVB in Brussels and other regional operators are expected to cut metro, tram, and bus frequencies or suspend some lines outright, especially on November 24 and 26. The Bulletin and foreign ministry advisories highlight that travelers may struggle to reach both Brussels Airport and Charleroi by public transport and that taxis and ride hail demand will likely spike.

Foreign ministries from the United States, the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, and Italy have all issued alerts about the November 24 to 26 strikes, pointing to a mix of airport closures, rail disruption, and public sector walkouts, and advising travelers to allow extra time, monitor local media, and avoid demonstrations in central Brussels on November 26.

Strategies For Belgium Trips And Christmas Markets

For nonessential trips to Belgium in the November 24 to 26 window, the cleanest option is still to move the journey before November 24 or after November 26 where possible, using the waivers that United, Air Canada, and Lufthansa Group have opened for Brussels itineraries. In many cases, shifting arrival to November 23 or departure to November 27 will sidestep the worst of the disruption while still preserving a late November visit.

Travelers who must be in Brussels, Bruges, or other Belgian cities during the strike period should try to arrive at least one day before any fixed time commitments and consider approaching via alternative hubs. Routing through Amsterdam Schiphol, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt, or even Luxembourg or Dusseldorf, then continuing by train or car, may be more reliable than flying directly into Brussels on November 25 or 26, given the airport shutdown and potential residual disruption.

For Eurostar users, the main risks are missed connections and partial schedules. Anyone connecting in Brussels Midi between Eurostar and SNCB or other operators should build in generous buffers, ideally several hours, and avoid separate tickets where one delay could strand them without through protection. If a Christmas market itinerary relies on a tight same day hop from London to Bruges or Ghent via Brussels, it is safer to plan an overnight in Brussels or reroute through Paris or Amsterdam with more robust onward options.

Within Belgium during the strikes, travelers should assume that hospital staffing, school operations, and municipal services may be limited on different days. That means extra caution for trips with children, older travelers, or anyone with medical needs, plus contingency plans for routine appointments or support services that might otherwise be taken for granted during a city break.

Finally, anyone already booked should confirm that their contact details are correct in airline and rail bookings, monitor apps and email for automatic disruption alerts, and keep hotel reservations flexible in case an extra night near an alternative hub becomes the best way to protect the rest of the itinerary. A short pre trip checklist, including checking Brussels Airport and Charleroi status pages, the SNCB strike information page, and Eurostar's disruption feed, can make the difference between a salvaged trip and a chain of missed links.

Background

Belgium has seen multiple national strike actions in 2025 as unions protest government austerity and labor reforms, including pension changes and perceived erosion of social protections. The November 24 to 26 sequence fits that pattern but is unusually broad in scope, combining rail, public sector, and whole economy strikes into a single three day window that hits key travel infrastructure just as winter tourism and Christmas markets ramp up.

For travelers and travel advisors, this means treating Belgium's late November strikes not as a one day nuisance but as a structural shock to air, rail, and city transport that requires deliberate planning, extra buffer, and sometimes a complete rethink of routing. Pairing this update with Adept Traveler's broader guidance in Belgium Strikes November 24 To 26 Hit Flights And Trains and a general explainer such as a future guide on How European Transport Strikes Affect Travel can help readers build a more resilient strategy for strike season in northwest Europe.