Skeyes wildcat strike ends as flights resume towards Brussels
Updated 26 June 2026, Brussels: A wildcat strike at Belgian air traffic controller skeyes has ended, and several flights are already heading back towards Brussels, according to HLN. The disruption hit Belgium’s main aviation system because skeyes manages civil air traffic control for Brussels Airport and the country’s regional airports. Passengers should still check their flight status with their airline and Brussels Airport before travelling, as knock-on delays normally continue after airspace restrictions are lifted.
The end of the strike allows flight operations to restart, but passengers can still face delays, missed connections and aircraft-positioning problems. Brussels Airport is Belgium’s main international gateway, so even a short interruption affects business travel, holiday departures, EU-linked travel and airline schedules across Europe.
Skeyes is Belgium’s autonomous public air navigation service provider. It controls civil air traffic for Brussels Airport and regional airports including Charleroi, Antwerp, Ostend and Liège, while Eurocontrol’s Maastricht centre handles upper airspace above Belgium. The immediate subject is the end of an unannounced labour stoppage that disrupted flights to and from Brussels.
Background
Belgian aviation has seen repeated sensitivity around air traffic control staffing, labour pressure and airport disruption because a small number of operational posts can affect national airspace. Skeyes, formerly Belgocontrol, has been a central actor in that system since Belgium reorganised public economic companies in the 1990s.
Impact
Regional — The strongest impact is around Brussels Airport in Zaventem and the wider Brussels travel region. Passengers travelling from Brussels, Flemish Brabant and the capital’s EU district are the most exposed to short-notice schedule changes.
Opposing perspectives
- Air traffic staff and labour representatives
Air traffic staff involved in sudden action generally frame stoppages as pressure over staffing, workload or working conditions in a safety-critical sector. Their position is that air traffic control cannot operate normally when employees judge the working environment to be unsustainable.
- Passengers, airlines and airport operators
Passengers, airlines and airport operators focus on the immediate disruption caused by an unannounced stoppage. Their position is that wildcat action leaves travellers with little time to adjust plans and forces airlines to absorb delays, cancellations and crew scheduling problems.