Brussels Airport, Brussels Airlines, and TUI Fly are expressing their concerns over the Belgian national strikes that have been happening since January of this year already costing the Belgian economy 100million euros and has affected over 180,000 passengers in the aviation sector.
How are the strikes affecting Belgiums’ primary airport?
Four days of industry action strikes over the last few months have left Brussels Airport and the relevant airlines to deal with the fallout. The industry action strikes, which were protesting the Belgian federal government, have caused flight delays, cancellations, and operational disruptions as well as having mass impact on Belgian’s economy. The aviation sector is the second-largest economic source for the country and therefore plays an important role in its financial stability. The repeated strikes have cost the Belgian economy millions in tourism, cargo, and business losses.
Brussels Airport respects the right of those who are choosing to strike however the impact on the aviation industry and on passengers has been sizeable and disruptive. Airlines are having to face increases in operational costs and higher workloads while trying to lower the impact on its passengers.
Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport, has said this about the situation:
The Brussels Airport is a key international hub for the country, being Belgium’s primary airport, and therefore has taken the brunt of these strikes. The ongoing strikes are having a domino effect on all the other industries such as retail and hospitality, and is causing airlines to worry about their passengers leaving to use other airlines.
The impact on airlines and passengers
Brussels Airlines and TUI Fly have expressed their concerns over the matter. Dorothea von Boxberg, CEO of Brussels Airlines, said:
On the next national strike day, June 25, it’s said that over 75 thousand passengers are expected to pass through Brussels Airport. With over 180 thousand passengers already affected by the strikes this year, airlines like TUI are also raising their concerns over how this will affect their passengers. Günther Hofman, Managing Director of TUI Fly Western Region has expressed his opinion on the issues:
Customers of these airlines who have been affected by the strikes are having to rebook flights, adjust their accommodation, miss out on key events, as well as face the many delays and cancellations at Brussels Airport.
