EU Aviation Braces as Brussels Strike Grounds Flights

On 26 November 2025, Europe’s aviation industry was jolted as Brussels Airport announced the cancellation of all departing flights, and the grounding of many arrivals, after security and ground-handling staff joined a nationwide strike.

The walk-out came as unions rallied against proposed austerity and pension reforms by the Belgian government. The disruption rippled beyond Belgium’s borders: airlines including British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair scrambled to reroute passengers via alternate hubs such as Amsterdam and Paris — airports already overloaded due to diverted flights.

The strike underscored growing structural stress in European aviation: fatigue over austerity, rising costs, and thin profit margins have fuelled labour unrest just as demand starts to oscillate. Rail links such as Eurostar were also affected when rail-sector workers joined the industrial action, adding another layer of chaos for business travellers between London and continental hubs.

From Brussels to beyond, the strike exposed how fragile European air-travel remains under the weight of labour disputes and limited slack in capacity. For airlines, ground-handling disruption can be just as damaging as mechanical faults - but far more unpredictable.

Analysts say the November 26 walk-out may foreshadow further turbulence in 2026. With rising demands for austerity-driven reforms across the EU and mounting pressure on ground-staff and maintenance-crew wages, the risk of fresh walk-outs could become a strategic headache for carriers.

For passengers and airlines alike, the message from November 26 is bleak: even as regulators and manufacturers warn of technical risks, it's the human element — staffing levels, pay, and workplace tensions — that may continue to ground more flights than any software bug.