{"id":71499,"date":"2026-04-29T22:46:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T22:46:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/71499\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T22:46:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T22:46:21","slug":"airline-cancels-60-percent-of-flights-on-may-12-as-uk-tourist-spot-faces-strikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/71499\/","title":{"rendered":"Airline cancels ’60 percent’ of flights on May 12 as UK tourist spot faces strikes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Travellers to the EU country are set for disruption on May 12\"Brussels,<\/p>\n

(Image: Dawid Kalisinski Photography via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

British travellers face potential disruption after confirmation of industrial action affecting flights. Brussels Airlines announced on Tuesday that it will cut back its operations by 60% on May 12, according to media reports.<\/p>\n

The reduction could impact UK passengers, as the carrier operates regular services from London Heathrow, though specific flight cancellations remain unconfirmed at this stage. The airline also runs routes from Manchester Airport and Edinburgh Airport.<\/p>\n

The cuts come after Brussels Airport issued advance warning of anticipated disruption on the same date due to nationwide strike action. Security staff and various service providers are set to walk out.<\/p>\n

\"Brussels<\/p>\n

A Brussels airlines Airbus A320(Image: pablorebo1984 via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Carriers have been asked to limit departing passenger flights that day to ensure safety standards are maintained and to avoid lengthy queues. According to news outlet 7sur7, trade unions FGTB, CSC, and CGSLB are coordinating another significant demonstration in Brussels city centre.<\/p>\n

This represents the most recent in a series of strikes affecting the nation. During the last national walkout, Brussels Airport saw no passenger departures whatsoever, though observers suggest the disruption on May 12 may be less extensive, based on local reporting. “Just under half of the scheduled departures will be able to operate,” Zaventem Airport predicted.<\/p>\n

Additionally, separate industrial action has been announced within the aviation industry. Reports emerged on Tuesday that strike notices have been submitted which could affect pilots, reports the Mirror<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A coalition of unions (CNE\/ACV Puls, CSC Transcom, CGSLB\/ACLVB, and Setca\/BBTK) has submitted a national strike notice covering Belgium’s entire aviation sector. With around 1.3 million British visitors travelling to Belgium each year, potentially hundreds or even thousands of UK passengers could face disruption on that day alone. According to Le Soir, Brussels Airlines is scrapping approximately 60% of its scheduled flights.<\/p>\n

\"Brussels,<\/p>\n

Brussels Airlines Airbus A320 Tintin Rackham livery on approach near control tower at Brussels Airport(Image: Michael Mulkens via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The airline has indicated that long-haul services will be most severely affected, as these carry substantial numbers of connecting travellers. On shorter journeys, preference is being given to routes with higher proportions of direct passengers.<\/p>\n

“Further cancellations cannot be ruled out. Passengers whose flights are cancelled can either rebook or request a refund. We continue to monitor the situation closely; further cancellations cannot be ruled out,” a Brussels Airlines spokesperson confirmed.<\/p>\n

They added: “Brussels Airlines is not involved in the labour dispute between the unions and the Belgian federal Government. Yet, the consequences always fall on our passengers, our colleagues, and our company. In the current geopolitical context (particularly with high fuel prices, editor’s note), such actions are irresponsible.<\/p>\n

“In collaboration with all relevant partners, Brussels Airport is working to ensure that as many flights as possible can depart that day,” the national airport confirmed in a statement.<\/p>\n

However, the airport expects only limited disruption to arriving flights. Passengers scheduled to land at Brussels Airport on that date are advised to verify their flight’s current status directly with their airline.<\/p>\n

The unions revealed the planned mass action at the beginning of the month. This demonstration is part of an ongoing series of union protests that have been taking place for more than a year, challenging the federal government’s reforms to various policies including pensions.<\/p>\n

The latest national demonstration occurred on 12 March. Between 80,000 people (according to police estimates) and over 100,000 (according to union figures) marched through the streets of Brussels. No passenger flights departed from Zaventem Airport on that day.<\/p>\n

Your rights as an airline passenger<\/p>\n

According to the government’s gov.uk website<\/a>, your airline, travel agent or tour operator must provide you with “clear and easy-to-understand information on the conditions of your travel at the point of booking.” Travellers are encouraged to review these conditions thoroughly. The website states: “Airlines and travel agents selling flight tickets must make clear the full price for all mandatory charges, such as taxes, at the time of booking. They should make clear any additional costs for optional extras. For example, for luggage allowance or seat selection.”<\/p>\n

It adds: “If you have booked a package that includes a flight (such as flight and accommodation or flight and car hire) you may also have both package and ATOL protection. Take your ATOL Certificate with you.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Travellers to the EU country are set for disruption on May 12 (Image: Dawid Kalisinski Photography via Getty…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":71500,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[104],"tags":[211,210,71,73,568,1158,38882,38883,1413],"class_list":["post-71499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brussels","tag-belgium","tag-brussels","tag-europe","tag-european-union","tag-manchester-airport","tag-politics","tag-school-holidays","tag-summer-holidays","tag-travel"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@dk\/116490429246877121","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71499"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71499\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}