Twenty-two Ryanair flights to Spain were canceled due to a pilot strike at the Belgian airport Charleroi, located about 50 kilometers from Brussels, announced on Thursday by the airport authorities. The disruptions hit multiple routes to and from Charleroi, affecting several Spanish destinations across the country.
Barcelona-El Prat, Palma de Mallorca, Alicante, Malaga, Girona-Costa Brava, Castellón, Santander and Asturias were among the Spanish airports whose services to and from Charleroi were impacted by the strike that took place last month. The cancellations extended beyond Charleroi, touching other airports and altering schedules across the network.
Overall, the strike on August 14 and 15 led to a broad suspension of services. Ninety-eight flights were planned for those days, with disruptions centered on the Charleroi route to Spain and connections between Charleroi and other European and Moroccan cities. Zaventem, the other major Belgian airport near Brussels, remained unaffected by the action, preserving routine operations there.
On Monday, August 14, a total of ten flights connecting to Spain were suspended. Five of these operated as Charleroi departures to Barcelona, Palma, Girona, Castellón, Santander and Asturias, while five additional flights ran the reverse routes from those Spanish airports back to Charleroi.
On Tuesday, August 15, a public holiday, twelve flights were canceled. Six of them departed Charleroi and arrived in Barcelona, Palma, Girona, Alicante, Malaga and Asturias. The remaining six were the reverse routes, starting from each of those airports and heading toward Charleroi.
Beyond these cities, other origins or destinations affected by the pilots’ strike included Lisbon, Rome, Venice, Marseille, Perpignan, Warsaw, Helsinki, Tetouan and Rabat, illustrating the wider reach of the disruption within the Ryanair network.
The unions organizing the strike framed the August days as a protest against what they describe as the management’s intransigence. They demanded improved working conditions and better pay, arguing that post-pandemic recovery measures should reflect pilots’ efforts and timelines that were constrained during the health crisis of 2020.
These new protests followed two previous strikes over the weekends of July 15 and 16, which had already forced cancellations and led to a suspension of flights on July 29 and 30. Roughly 96 routes were affected in those episodes, underscoring a pattern of recurring disputes that disrupt travel plans during peak vacation periods.
As the mid-August strike approached, many travelers faced the prospect of disrupted bookings at a time when summer vacations usually see higher passenger volumes. The situation underscored ongoing tensions between Ryanair and its pilots, despite repeated discussions between the unions and the airline’s management aimed at reaching a satisfactory agreement before carriers resume full schedules in the high season.
From a broader perspective, the disagreements centered on whether Ryanair should adjust pilot rosters and break schedules to align with local labor standards and collective bargaining expectations. The unions highlighted the need for transparent scheduling and fair compensation that reflects the demanding nature of pilot work, particularly after how schedules were managed during the pandemic years. Ryanair, for its part, stressed the importance of maintaining a reliable timetable and the ability to adapt to market demands while attempting to navigate an increasingly complex regulatory landscape across Europe.
Despite numerous meetings and ongoing negotiations, a lasting solution had not been reached by the time the August protests took place. The presence of strikes in mid-August created a notable interruption of travel plans for many families and business travelers, reminding everyone how fragile air travel can be when labor issues collide with airline operations. The situation underscored the interconnected nature of aviation, labor relations, and traveler expectations in today’s fast-moving travel environment.