Flight Delayed or Cancelled in Belgium? EU261 Rights at Brussels and Charleroi
Belgium has had a run of national strike days that hit air travel, so knowing your EU261 rights is useful before you fly from Brussels or Charleroi. This guide covers which flights are protected, what the airline must provide while you wait, and who to contact in Belgium if the airline does not respond.
Main airports and airlines in Belgium
Brussels Airport (BRU) at Zaventem is the main hub and home of Brussels Airlines (Lufthansa Group), which runs a large network to Africa. Brussels South Charleroi (CRL) is a major low-cost base, especially for Ryanair and Wizz Air. TUI fly Belgium operates holiday flights, and Liège (LGG), Antwerp (ANR) and Ostend-Bruges (OST) handle smaller volumes, with Liège being mostly cargo.
When EU261 applies to flights in Belgium
EU261, the EU's air passenger rights law, generally applies when:
- You depart from an airport in Belgium, on any airline. That includes Charleroi low-cost flights and long-haul flights from Brussels on any airline.
- You fly into Belgium from outside the EU on an airline licensed in the EU. A Brussels Airlines flight from Kinshasa into Brussels is one example of a covered inbound flight.
A connection booked on one ticket is generally assessed to your final destination, not just the first leg.
Delays: care, re-routing and refunds
The airline must offer care (food and drink, two calls or emails, and a hotel with transfers if an overnight stay is needed) after a 2-hour delay on flights up to 1,500 km (Brussels to Rome, about 1,170 km), 3 hours on flights within the EU over 1,500 km or other flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km (Brussels to Lisbon, about 1,720 km), and 4 hours on longer flights (Brussels to Kinshasa, about 6,240 km). If the delay reaches 5 hours, you may give up the trip and request a refund. For a cancellation, the airline must let you pick a refund or re-routing.
The fixed amounts in the regulation
EU261 also lists fixed amounts tied to distance, not ticket price: €250, €400 or €600 per passenger. They are relevant when you reach your final destination 3+ hours late, your flight is cancelled with less than 14 days' notice, or you are bumped. The airline can halve the €600 amount in some cases when arrival is within 4 hours of schedule. What applies to you depends on the facts.
Extraordinary circumstances and local disruptions
An airline can refuse the fixed amounts if it proves extraordinary circumstances: events beyond its control, like dangerous weather, ATC decisions or strikes, or security alerts. Ordinary technical problems and walkouts by its own employees have generally not qualified at the EU Court of Justice. Meals and hotels are still required. On 9 October 2026, around 100 flights were cancelled at Brussels Airport when staff of the ground handler Alyzia joined a national strike, and Brussels Airlines cancelled roughly 40% of its flights that day. Charleroi has also seen cancellations from air traffic controller strikes. Whether a strike by airport or handling staff counts as extraordinary depends on the facts; a strike by the airline's own staff generally does not.
Where to complain in Belgium
Write to the airline first and keep a copy. If that does not resolve it, contact the national enforcement body in the country where the problem happened. Belgium's national enforcement body is the Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport (SPF Mobilité et Transports / FOD Mobiliteit en Vervoer), Directorate-General Air Transport, Passenger Rights unit. Information and an online complaint form are available in English, Dutch and French: mobilit.belgium.be.
Coming in 2027: Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 amends EU261. Most changes apply from 23 October 2027, including a general nine-month deadline for compensation requests. Until then, the current rules above apply.
FAQ
My flight from Brussels was cancelled because of a national strike. What applies? The airline must still offer a refund or re-routing and provide care. Whether the fixed amounts apply depends on whose staff went on strike and whether the airline could reasonably have avoided the cancellation.
Is Charleroi covered the same way as Brussels Airport? Yes. Every flight departing an airport in Belgium is covered by EU261, including low-cost flights from Charleroi.
Where do I complain in Belgium? To the Passenger Rights unit of the FPS Mobility and Transport, after you have written to the airline.
Related guides
- EU261 guide (en español)
- Flight cancelled: your options
- Missed connection guide
- All Europe flight delay guides
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