Baggage handling strike leads to cancellation of 140 flights at Brussels Airport

Six days into the ongoing strike by ground handling services provider Aviapartner, at least 140 flights out of 620 scheduled to depart are cancelled at Brussels Airport on Tuesday, reports Belga news agency.

Aviapartner's trade union led a protest on Tuesday in the departure hall of Brussels International Airport, expressing their determination to continue the baggage handling strike until their requirements were fully met, according to Belgian TV channel RTL.

The strike, which started on last Thursday, has led to the overall cancellation of 720 flights with 150,000 affected passengers.

This number could still increase slightly in the coming hours and days, said a spokesperson with the Brussels Airport.

Passengers are advised to follow airline instructions to find out if they need to go to the airport.

People who had to give up their luggage because of the strike are advised not to make the trip down to the airport.

"A number of passengers were forced to drop their bags on Thursday and Friday. They come back to the airport to see if they can pick them up. But this is not yet the case. They remain stuck while Aviapartner is on strike," said the spokeswoman for Brussels Airport.

The CEO of Claim it, a company that defends the rights of passengers, said on Monday that the costs of flights are reimbursed but the overall damage caused by the strike, including hotel stays, amount to several million euros, reports Belgian newspaper DH.

According to the group's annual report, Aviapartner's Belgian branch, on strike since last Thursday, has incurred heavy losses and has no margin to compensate for these losses.

Last year, with a turnover of 61.5 million euros, Aviapartner Belgium posted losses of 3.6 million euros.