Key actors — tap for context
Skeyes
Belgian state agency that manages air traffic control in Belgian airspace.
Why here: Its controllers in Charleroi are striking over night bonuses.
Charleroi
Brussels South Airport, the second-largest in Belgium and one of Ryanair's main hubs in Western Europe.
Why here: This is where the strike is taking place.
Ryanair
Irish low-cost airline.
Why here: It has a base in Charleroi and the preventive flight cancellations hit its services first.
More info →The dispute is over the night bonus
The strike comes after negotiations over night bonuses collapsed. Controllers in Charleroi are demanding that the night premium be raised to 160 percent of the current level, arguing that they want the same bonus that applies in other units with night operations. VRT NWS ↗Skeyes counters with its own figure, citing a night bonus exceeding a thousand euros per shift. Older and newer reports in Belgian media differ, however, on whether this refers to the current amount or to the sum after the requested increase — the agency has not clarified this. Skeyes also points to the airport's normal operating hours, which run from 6:30 to 23:00; the unions counter that night operations genuinely exist there.
The strike takes place during night shifts, that is, from 22:00 to 8:00. It is precisely this window that covers the first morning departures, on which the rotation model of low-cost carriers depends — aircraft must be in place early in the morning to complete the full daily cycle.
What this means for travelers from Slovakia
Charleroi is not a marginal destination for Slovak travelers. Ryanair has it among 23 direct routes from Bratislava in its winter 2026/2027 flight schedule. Letisko Bratislava ↗Timing is crucial. The strike window ends at eight in the morning, so the earliest morning connections are the most vulnerable — and these make up a substantial part of the low-cost flight schedule. Travelers would therefore do well to check their flight status the evening before departure.
In the event of a flight cancellation, passengers are entitled under EU regulation to alternative transport or a refund of the ticket price; if awaiting rerouting, they are also entitled to care. Financial compensation is more complicated: a strike by an outside organization, such as an air traffic control agency, may constitute an extraordinary circumstance that exempts the carrier from compensation — but the carrier must prove both a direct causal link and that it could not have prevented the cancellation even by taking reasonable measures. A mere reference to the strike is not enough. Európska komisia ↗
One unit strikes, the whole airport feels it
What is peculiar about this dispute is that it does not involve the entire agency — it is one unit at one airport that is striking, and yet it could affect more than 800 flight movements.Ryanair also announced in January that, due to rising passenger taxes, it will cut its Brussels operations by one million passengers in 2026 and by another million in 2027 — so its relationship with the country is strained even without the strike. Ryanair ↗
*Illustrative photo: A Boeing 737 belonging to Ryanair at Brussels-Charleroi Airport (2025), Wikimedia Commons. Author: Hotolmo22. License CC0.*
