Brussels Airport strikes: how to protect your trip and your transfer

Belgian strike days ground flights at Zaventem and Charleroi and stop the trains at the same time. A practical plan for travellers, including what happens to a pre-booked transfer.

Belgium has had a run of national action days since 2025, and each one follows the same pattern at the airports: security and ground-handling staff join the strike, Brussels Airport asks airlines to cancel most departures the day before, Charleroi cancels a large share of its Ryanair and Wizz Air flights, and SNCB runs a reduced train timetable. The road network stays open. If your flight still operates, a private transfer is the one part of the journey that works normally.

How airport strikes unfold

Announcements usually come 7 to 14 days ahead from the unions, and the airports publish their operational plan 24 to 48 hours before. Departures are hit hardest because outbound passengers need security screening; arrivals are often maintained. Airlines send rebooking options by email and app, and EU261 rules apply to cancellations, though strikes by airport staff count as extraordinary circumstances for compensation.

Five things to do when a strike is announced

• Check whether your flight is on the airport’s cancellation list before you leave home; do not rely on the airline app alone.
• Ask the airline to rebook you on the day before or after; both airports are usually overloaded on the first day back.
• Keep the transfer booking: with Helicro it is free to cancel or move up to 24 hours before pickup, so there is nothing to lose by holding the slot.
• If the trains are striking too, remember the ride to the airport is unaffected; roads may be busier around Brussels because of demonstrations, and the driver plans around them.
• Consider the other airport: on several action days Charleroi kept more flights running than Zaventem, or the reverse. Helicro drives to both at a fixed price.

What happens to your Helicro booking

If your flight is cancelled, tell us by WhatsApp and the transfer is cancelled or moved free of charge, even inside 24 hours when the cancellation is strike-related. If your flight is rebooked to a new time, the same driver takes the new slot at the same fixed price. If you land during a strike day, arrivals are tracked as normal and the driver waits inside the terminal.

Why pre-booking beats improvising on strike days

On action days, taxi ranks at the airport thin out, app prices surge and the trains are the thing on strike. Travellers who pre-booked a private transfer with flight tracking simply walk out to a driver holding their name. Those who did not spend the morning refreshing apps. The price difference is small; the difference on the day is large.