After snowfall on Wednesday evening and overnight, the country’s two major airports were at a standstill. Charleroi airport had to close the runway for an hour to de-ice it, while Brussels airport mentioned a more surprising problem.
Grégory contacted us via the orange Alert us button. He was scheduled to take off this Thursday morning at 7 a.m. towards Madrid from Brussels airport. But, according to him, his plane is grounded due to weather conditions. “Brussels airport is at a standstill because the tractors to clear snow from the runway are not working“, testifies the traveler.
An almost comical situation, if it did not have such a significant impact on travelers. “According to the crew, one of the machines is broken and the other cannot be found. So we’re stuck on the plane. It’s still incredible. It’s amazing”he believes.
All flights would therefore be grounded. Alberto’s plane is also blocked, he was already more than an hour late around 8 a.m., with no departure estimate. He does not hesitate to use strong terms: “Snow has been forecast for several days, but no de-icing trucks are available. All flights are waiting on the ground. Will passengers affected by this incompetence be compensated?“, Alberto demands.
Contacted by us, the airport said it was investigating the situation. The spokesperson explains, however, that already on Wednesday evening, delays were to be deplored due to winter conditions.
Charleroi Airport
The situation was slightly less chaotic at Charleroi airport. The flights were interrupted for a little over an hour, between 6:30 a.m. and 7:36 a.m. Snow covered the slopes, making them unusable. “The SPW which analyzes the track indicates that the conditions are not good and it is not safe“, explains Nathalie Pierard, spokesperson for Charleroi airport. The airport has its own machines to de-ice the runway, but they did not seem to be enough this Wednesday morning. “During inspections it was found that it was too frosty“, she laments.
“We are waiting for the product, and the Winter Ops team to spread special products to de-ice the runway“. At 7:36 a.m., the situation was restored. Fortunately for the airport, the delays were not too significant: “We’re trying to catch up. By the end of the morning, it should be restored, we are in a period where there are not many flights“, indicates the spokesperson. Around fifteen flights were scheduled to take the runway at Charleroi airport this morning from 6:30 a.m. to 7:36 a.m.
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