Belgium General Strike Shuts Brussels Flights November 26

A nationwide general strike in Belgium on November 26, 2025 shut down most flight operations at Brussels Airport (BRU) and Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL), while rail and metro networks ran on reduced schedules across the country. Airlines canceled all 206 scheduled departures and about 110 arriving flights at Brussels, affecting roughly 39,000 passengers in a single day, and Charleroi halted every departure and arrival. Business travelers heading for EU institutions, expats returning from the holidays, and leisure passengers on low cost carriers were all forced to scramble for last minute rerouting. For anyone planning Belgium strike Brussels flights in the coming months, the episode shows that Brussels dependent itineraries now need built in redundancy, backup hubs, and flexible tickets rather than single point of failure plans.

The strike was the peak of a three day action from November 24 to 26 by Belgium s main union fronts, which walked out over austerity policies, pension reforms, and wage indexation under Prime Minister Bart De Wever s coalition. For travelers, what changed is that this was not just a partial slowdown or rolling protest but a day when both major airports around the capital effectively went dark while rail and urban transport limped along, turning Brussels into a risky choice for tight in and out business trips or complex same day connections.

How The Strike Hit Airports And Rail

Brussels Airport confirmed in advance that every departing passenger flight on November 26 would be canceled because too many security and handling staff were joining the strike, and later tallied 206 departures and 110 arrivals scrubbed, with only a reduced set of inbound flights allowed to operate. Ground handlers, security screening teams, and other essential staff formed the core of the walkout at the airport, which made normal operations impossible even though air traffic control itself remained available.

At Brussels South Charleroi Airport, a critical base for Ryanair and other low cost carriers into the Benelux region, management warned that it could not guarantee any flights during the general strike and ultimately did not handle departures or arrivals on November 26. That decision wiped out dozens of short haul holiday and visiting friends and relatives rotations, including links to the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, and Italy, and forced airlines either to consolidate passengers onto later dates or to route them through other hubs.

Rail operator SNCB, also known as NMBS, implemented an alternative timetable from 10:00 p.m. on November 23 through the end of November 26, cutting frequencies on many intercity and commuter routes. International travelers faced reduced or disrupted Eurostar and Thalys style high speed services, local trains into Brussels Airport and Charleroi that only ran intermittently, and fewer onward connections to cities such as Antwerp, Ghent, and Liège. Urban networks in Brussels, Flanders, and Wallonia ran skeleton services, which meant that even replacement routings into Amsterdam, Paris, or Lille required extra buffer time to reach departure stations.

Who Was Affected And How Trips Were Rerouted

The most exposed segment was corporate and government travel tied to scheduled meetings with EU institutions and multinational headquarters. Reports from travel management firms and regional press describe meetings that either moved online at the last minute or relocated to other European capitals when organizers realized that core participants could not reliably get into or out of Brussels during the strike.

For travelers who still needed to move, the main escape valves were Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS), Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), Frankfurt Airport (FRA), and London Heathrow Airport (LHR), plus some use of Antwerp and Ostend Bruges regional airports that remained open. Airlines protected a limited number of long haul and key European flows through these hubs, but spare seats were scarce, and many passengers accepted long ground transfers and overnight stays to salvage their trips. Ireland to Brussels business shuttles, such as Dublin to Brussels rotations that normally support EU commuting, were especially hard hit when Aer Lingus and other carriers canceled full days of flying rather than strand aircraft and crews.

Some airlines, including Air Canada, had already posted voluntary rebooking waivers for Brussels travel between November 24 and early December, letting passengers move dates or routings at no fee within a limited window. Those who acted early had the best options, often securing routings through Star Alliance or SkyTeam partners with more tolerable connections, while late movers were pushed onto odd combinations of secondary airports and long rail segments.

What EU261 Covers On Strike Days

The strike also exposed a common misconception about European air passenger rights. Under Regulation EC 261, travelers whose flights are canceled or heavily delayed are entitled to care, rerouting, or refunds whenever they are departing an EU airport or flying into one on an EU carrier, but cash compensation is only owed when the cause is within the airline s control.

Nationwide general strikes and walkouts by airport security or ground handling staff are treated as extraordinary circumstances, similar to severe weather or airspace closures, so passengers on Belgium strike Brussels flights are not usually entitled to the flat €250 to €600 compensation that would apply after an avoidable airline staffing problem. However, airlines still owe a choice between a refund of the unused ticket portion or rerouting at the earliest opportunity, plus reasonable meals, refreshments, and hotel nights where an overnight stay becomes necessary.

In practice, that means travelers should keep receipts for hotels, food, and ground transport when they are stranded by a strike, then submit a claim for reimbursement as part of the airline s duty of care rather than demanding a cash payout under the compensation rules. It also means that buying extra insurance or choosing credit cards with strong trip interruption benefits becomes more valuable for frequent users of hubs like Brussels that face repeated strike risk.

Planning Redundancy For Brussels Dependent Trips

For future business and institution heavy trips that depend on Brussels, it now makes sense to plan with a two layer structure instead of a single in and out ticket. One strategy is to book flexible fares into a nearby hub such as Amsterdam, Paris, or Frankfurt, then use rail or a short haul tag to reach Brussels, which can be dropped or replaced if Belgian transport is threatened by strike notices. Another is to build itineraries that include at least one backup routing, for example a return leg that can be reissued from AMS or CDG if Brussels closes.

Travelers on separate tickets, particularly those who self connect between low cost carriers or mix cash and award bookings, are at much higher risk of misconnects and out of pocket rebooking costs when a general strike hits. For these passengers, it is safer to allow overnight buffers between long haul arrivals and onward Brussels segments, or to route the long haul flights into a more resilient hub, then complete the last leg by high speed rail. Mobility managers can also pre approve the use of videoconferencing or hybrid meetings when unions file multi day strike notices, so that stakeholders are not forced to gamble on a narrow access window into the Belgian capital.

Background: Escalating Industrial Risk Around Brussels

This three day national strike did not come out of nowhere for travelers. Belgian unions had already staged major actions earlier in the year, including an October shutdown where Brussels Airport canceled all departing flights for a day, and regional strikes that limited departures and arrivals at both Brussels and Charleroi. The November 24 to 26 action was larger and more coordinated, aimed at blocking austerity measures that unions say undermine Belgium s social model and squeeze purchasing power.

Union confederations have already warned that further mobilizations are possible in 2026 if the government proceeds with its current fiscal plans without significant compromise. For travelers and corporate planners, that means strike risk around Brussels is now structural rather than exceptional, and must be treated the same way they treat seasonal storm patterns or chronic congestion at known bottleneck hubs.

What Travelers Should Do Next

In the short term, anyone who was caught by the November 26 cancellations should confirm whether they prefer a refund or rerouting, document any extra expenses, and push airlines to reissue itineraries in a single ticket so that downstream segments are protected. Those facing urgent trips in the next few weeks should check for lingering aircraft and crew imbalances that might affect Brussels rotations, then consider entering or leaving the Benelux region via Amsterdam, Paris, or Frankfurt to avoid bottlenecks while schedules normalize.

Looking ahead to 2026, the practical response is to assume that at least a few strike days will hit Belgian airports and rail networks each year, and to build that expectation into planning. That means tracking union calendars, securing flexible corporate contracts with multiple hub options, designing meeting schedules that tolerate one or two lost days, and educating travelers about EU261 so they know what they can realistically claim if a strike shuts down their route again. With that mindset, Brussels can remain a workable gateway and political center without being a single point of failure in a complex European itinerary.

Sources

• Belgium s Three Day General Strike Paralyzes Air, Rail and Metro Networks
• Brussels Airport Cancels All Departing Flights On November 26 Due To Strike
• National Strike Enters Final Day As Disruption Eases In Some Sectors
• Belgian Strikes Impact International Flights
• Belgium National Strike, How It Will Impact Travellers
• Train Strikes In Belgium, 23-26 November
• Air Passenger Rights, European Commission Overview
• Strike Action And Flight Compensation Under EU261
• Air Canada Goodwill Policy For Brussels Strike