Around 140 flights landing and departing at Brussels Airport on Friday will be cancelled, as ground handler Alyzia is expected to be severely affected by national protests.
Alyzia is responsible for managing airline operations for several large airlines flying to and from Brussels, among them Brussels Airlines. They take care of baggage handling, ramp operations, de-icing, aircraft cleaning, and cargo/mail transport. According to Brussels Airport, Alyzia will only have "limited staffing" on Friday.
The airline emphasises that it is not involved in the industrial action. “We regret that this is already the third time this year that our flight schedule has been seriously disrupted by industrial action taken by external parties,” it says. “This action is disrupting the travel plans of thousands of passengers and is having a significant financial impact on Brussels Airlines.”
Around 40% of flights from Brussels Airlines will be affected. According to a spokesperson for the airline, affected passengers will be contacted to reschedule their flight. "Passengers can also check the status of their flight via ‘My Booking’ on our website."
The ABVV-FGTB trade union is organising a national demonstration in Brussels on Friday 9 October, whilst the ACV-CSC will be marching to the party headquarters of the federal governing parties on that day.
According to the ACV-CSC, the Arizona government’s measures are pushing large numbers of people into hardship while doing nothing to reduce the public deficit.
