Belgian air traffic controllers to strike

Belgium risked seeing the closure of its airspace on Tuesday due to a 24-hour strike by air traffic controllers from 2:00 pm (1200 GMT), the Belgacontrol company said Monday.

“The move will cause the closure of Belgian civil airspace, which will have a negative impact on flights,” the public air traffic control company was quoted by the Belga news agency as saying.

Belgacontrol, which did not give the reason for the strike, was to meet with unions Tuesday morning in a bid to avert the shut-down.

A spokesman told Belga that traffic was likely to be disrupted in the early afternoon even if Belgacontrol management convinced workers at the meeting not to go ahead with the strike.

Passengers were advised to contact airlines about the possible impact of the strike on flights.