Hundreds of flights canceled as ‘wildcat' strike disrupts Belgian air traffic

Hundreds of flights were canceled across Belgium on Tuesday after a wildcat strike by air traffic controllers at Skeyes forced a temporary shutdown of the country's airspace.

"Due to a wildcat strike at air traffic controller Skeyes there is no air traffic possible in Belgium between 2 pm and 9 pm on Tuesday 2 June," Brussels Airport said in a statement.

The airport said airlines canceled all arrivals and departures scheduled between 2 pm and 7 pm because of the disruption.

Passengers were advised not to travel to the airport for flights scheduled during that period.

Flights scheduled between 7 pm and 9 pm were expected to face delays and, where possible, be rescheduled after 9 pm.

The disruption also affected other Belgian airports after earlier cancellations at Charleroi and Liege airports overnight.

Air traffic across Belgium was suspended from 2 pm, with around 200 flights canceled at Brussels Airport alone.

The strike was launched by air traffic controllers protesting plans to introduce a digital control tower in Namur. The project is expected to centralize operations currently handled by Liege and Charleroi airports beginning in 2027.

Skeyes is Belgium's national air navigation service provider and is responsible for managing the country's air traffic control system.

Authorities said normal operations were expected to resume after 9 pm, depending on developments.