Belgian strike diverts cargo to Maastricht

Flights are being redirected to Maastricht Aachen Airport following the disruption that will see the aviation sector grounded in Belgium on Thursday, 13th February

Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST) has stepped in to help minimize the impact of a series of scheduled strikes across Belgium that include air traffic control operators, handlers and security personnel.

The Netherlands’ second largest air cargo hub is set to welcome the extra passenger and cargo flights already scheduled, with MST prepared to manage further flights as demand requires.

National strikes across Belgium, planned for Thursday 13th February, have caused major disruption to passenger and cargo flights, with no flights planned to take off from or land at Belgian airports, including Brussels and Liège.

“We are proud of our team’s effort to prepare for situations like this and move so quickly to make sure our airport is prepared to operate passenger and cargo flights at short notice,” said Joost Meijs, CEO, Maastricht Aachen Airport.

“Our resilience and strong operational performance, we know, are reasons that we adapt to conditions and make sure we provide smooth operations and experience for the cargo carriers and passenger flights we welcome – our excellent location and transport links mean that disruption should be minimal for both passengers and cargo shipments.”

Ethiopian Cargo has also announced that it will be operating additional flights to MST in the coming weeks.

MST reported an on-time performance of over 98 percent last year for cargo handling, which explained the speedy times of cargo handling at the airport, with the industry benchmark for a good performance standing at 95 percent.