Belgian cargo hub sees freighter capacity down 40% during strike day as airlines redirect to alternative European airports
Liege Airport has confirmed that its cargo operations recovered quickly following Wednesday’s country-wide strikes.
The three-day national strike began on 24 November but its impact at Belgian airports was most keenly felt on Wednesday when airport workers joined in the strike action.
On Wednesday, Brussels Airport cancelled all outbound flights and more than 100 of its 200 inbound flights. Meanwhile, all operations at cargo hub Liege were halted.
However, a spokesperson for Liege said that operations quickly resumed on Thursday and flight operations are running smoothly for the airport in what is a very busy time for cargo.
Consultant Rotate said that carriers had planned ahead and quickly readjusted their plans for the day.
Source: Rotate
Figures from Rotate show that the majority of freighter flights due to arrive at Liege on Wednesday were diverted to Schiphol and Maastricht.
The consultant said that freighter capacity at the Belgian airport was on Wednesday down about 40% (1,300 tonnes or the equivalent of 13 Boeing 777 freighters) compared with a week earlier, while Schiphol registered a 6% increase (700 tonnes) and Maastricht was up 105% (367 tonnes).
Brussels Airport also saw an increase in freighter flights on Wednesday, although bellyhold operations would have been greatly affected by the industrial action.
Rotate said the biggest changes were on flights from Asia/Middle East origins with Schiphol and Maastricht being logical alternatives.
