Belgian general strike grounds flights and disrupts transport

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Brussels on Tuesday as a nationwide general strike over proposed government spending cuts grounded flights and paralyzed much public transport across Belgium. Trade unions organized the action to protest measures put forward by Prime Minister Bart De Wever’s coalition, and demonstrations in the capital saw clashes with police that included the use of tear gas and water cannon.

Brussels Airport canceled all departing flights and scrapped around half of scheduled arrivals for the day, an airport spokesperson, Jeffrey Franssens, said, adding that 115 of 238 planned arrivals were called off. Brussels South Charleroi Airport said it could not operate any arrivals or departures and that affected passengers would be contacted by their airlines about rebooking or refunds. Officials and airport statements indicate roughly 48,000 travelers were affected, about 33,000 of whom were due to depart and 15,000 to arrive.

The strike also disrupted metro, tram, and bus services in Brussels, and authorities reported interruptions to other public services such as rubbish collection and prison operations. Police advised people to avoid central areas...