Ryanair confirms that the impact on operations in Belgium following the pilots’ strike on September 14-15 is minimal

Ryanair has announced that the recent pilots’ strike in Belgium on September 14 and 15 had minimal impact on its operations. The airline managed to operate over 80% of its usual flights in Belgium during the strike, which was led by a small number of Belgian pilots.

The strike was initiated because Belgian Ryanair pilots and their union declined pay increases that had been agreed upon with pilot unions in all other countries where Ryanair operates. The airline is urging its Belgian pilots and their union to return to negotiations.

A spokesperson for Ryanair expressed disappointment in the CNE/ACV-PULS union for considering further strikes, emphasising that these strikes had little or no impact on the airline’s operations. They also highlighted that the main consequence of these strikes is that pilots in Belgium miss out on part of their wages and the pay increases that their counterparts in other countries have already received. The spokesperson called on the union to explain why they haven’t reached a collective agreement for Ryanair’s Belgian pilots, while pilots in other groups have successfully negotiated salary increases with the airline.