All passenger departures from Brussels Airport, Belgium, will be cancelled on 14 October 2025 as a result of industrial action, and arrivals could also face disruption, authorities have warned.
“Due to the national trade union action on 14 October and the announced strike by a large number of employees at security service provider G4S, Brussels Airport unfortunately expects a major impact on airport operations that day,” an airport announcement explained.
The decision to shut down departures was taken in conjunction with airlines, the airport said. Anyone whose flight is affected should be contacted by the relevant airline with further details and options.
#unionaction 14 October ⚠️ Departing flights will unfortunately be cancelled due to participation from security staff to the action. Cancellations are also possible on some arriving flights. Public transport to/from #brusselsairport will be affected as well. We apologise for the… pic.twitter.com/GMycrOqIG4
— Brussels Airport (@BrusselsAirport) September 30, 2025
Flyers are not the only ones at risk of journey trouble that day. The airport walkout is part of wider labour disputes that have seen months of strikes taking place in the Belgian capital and beyond. Two rail workers’ unions, the Autonomous Union of Train Drivers (ASTB) and Independent Rail Workers’ Union (OVS), have already confirmed their members will be striking, on a rolling basis.
Those wider stoppages are likely to cause further delays and cancellations across the public transport network on 14 October too. Brussels Airport has advised that would-be travellers on that day check their plans carefully and keep an eye on NMBS/SNCB and De Lijn for updates before setting out.
Aimed at protesting austerity policies put forward by Belgium’s federal government, the widespread strikes have drawn heavy criticism from aviation stakeholders. Earlier in the year, Brussels Airport issued an open complaint about the disproportionate impact of the regular strikes on the sector, passengers, and on the hub’s finances and reputation as a whole. The airport and the airlines and customers that rely on it were being punished, it said, “even though these actions are directed against the policies and measures of the federal government.”
The forthcoming mid-October strike will be the sixth to affect the airport as union members across the country, and across different sectors, protest the so-called Arizona-coalition government and what Prime Minister Bart De Wever has called “the biggest socio-economic reform this country has seen this century.” The changes involve pensions, social security, including unemployment benefits, and working conditions.
Now, the latest withdrawal of labour has wiped the departure board for 14 October 2025; it remains to be seen to what extent inbound passengers at Brussels Airport and public transit users across the capital and beyond will also be caught up in the dispute.
