Ryanair crew denied airport access at Charleroi Airport after badge issue triggers flight disruptions

Several Ryanair crew members and pilots have found themselves in an unusual and disruptive situation over the past few days at Brussels South Charleroi Airport, after being denied access to airside areas by airport security.

According to multiple reports, crew members arriving for duty were stopped at security checkpoints because their airport access badges were reportedly no longer considered valid. “We were told our badges were no longer valid,” one pilot said. As a result, Ryanair was forced to urgently deploy reserve crews to operate certain flights from Charleroi.

More than fifty cases of pilots, cabin crew and flight attendants being blocked at the airport gates were reported to the CNE trade union last week. “Some crew members negotiated with security staff in order to still be allowed to enter,” said Didier Lebbe, aviation representative for the CNE, who criticised what he described as a lack of explanation from Ryanair. In one case, a pilot whose badge had expired but who nevertheless managed to pass security controls reportedly received a disciplinary warning from the airline for arriving late.

Ryanair eventually broke its silence on Friday, four days after the first incidents, stating that the issue had been caused by an administrative problem that has since been resolved.

However, according to the CNE, Ryanair management allegedly failed to pay Belgium’s Federal Public Service Interior for background check procedures required for a significant number of its staff based in Belgium. “So who is the idiot here?” Lebbe added, responding to what he described as derogatory remarks made by Ryanair’s management about him.

Source: CNE, Facebook, La Libre Belgique