Due to a nationwide general strike, no planes are allowed to take off or land in Belgium on Wednesday. It can not be guaranteed that enough personnel are available to ensure safety, said the Belgian air navigation service provider Skeyes.
The Belgian airline Brussels Airlines had already announced on Friday to cancel all 222 flights. More than 16,000 passengers of the Lufthansa subsidiary are affected.
The airline TUIfly relocated its scheduled flights to and from Belgium at airports in France and the Netherlands. Passengers come to the destination by bus. Nevertheless, some people got lost at the Brussels airport. The daily "De Standaard" reports about 20 TUI passengers who have come to the airport by mistake.
Not affected by the current ban on flights over Belgium are flights that cross the Belgian airspace. Their route is monitored by European air traffic controllers, who do not participate in the national stand-off.
Several unions have called for a strike to promote, among other things, wage and pension increases in all sectors. Air traffic controllers have also stepped into the strike.
At 22 o'clock the air traffic is to be resumed. Then it should be the fuller: "We expect many passengers, because the airlines had to change their flights," said airport spokeswoman Nathalie Pierard the newspaper "De Standaard". By Friday, passengers should arrive at the airport especially early.
What rail travelers need to know
Also the railway traffic is affected. "There will be major disruptions in our network," tweeted for example the Brussels public transport. Especially at the local level, there are downtime and delays.
Grève nationale: notre réseau sera fortement perturbé le 13/2
Information in direct sur nos canaux d'information dès 6h mercredi. #STIB
National staking: MIVB-net zwaar Verstoord op 13/2
Voorzie een alternatief than ever kan. Live info woensdag vanaf 6 uur. #MIVB
Providers of national and international connections endeavor to offer trips, at least at the most important times. The Belgian railway company hopes to be able to carry half of all journeys. The connections between the big cities - especially at peak times in the morning and evening - should take place largely trouble-free. At other times there will be restrictions.
International train connections such as ICE and TGV are less affected. Only one Thalys trip had been canceled. Unlike the carrier Eurostar, whose trains run through the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France: Until Thursday afternoon, its trains are likely to be affected by delays or deletion.