{"id":588514,"date":"2026-08-10T02:52:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T02:52:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/588514\/"},"modified":"2026-08-10T02:52:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T02:52:13","slug":"ryanair-and-wizz-air-flights-halted-as-european-airport-to-shut-for-11-weeks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/588514\/","title":{"rendered":"Ryanair and Wizz Air flights halted as European airport to shut for 11 weeks"},"content":{"rendered":"

An estimated 7,3000 Ryanair flights could be disrupted<\/p>\n

16:53, 09 Aug 2026Updated 16:54, 09 Aug 2026<\/p>\n

\"Ryanair<\/p>\n

Ryanair flights will be on hold(Image: rparys via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

A prominent European airport serving millions of Ryanair and Wizz Air travellers is preparing to shut its doors for nearly three months as part of a massive \u00a343million (\u20ac50million) infrastructure overhaul. Brussels South Charleroi Airport, Belgium’s second-largest airport and the nation’s principal base for budget carriers, will cease operations entirely from August 15, 2028 through to October 31, 2028.<\/p>\n

The facility is scheduled to reopen on November 1, 2028, following an 11-week shutdown<\/a> that will enable engineers to undertake what’s been termed the most significant infrastructure scheme in the airport’s history.<\/p>\n

The extensive works are necessary because Charleroi Airport <\/a>functions with a single 3,200-metre runway<\/a>, meaning flight operations cannot proceed while reconstruction takes place.<\/p>\n

Airport officials explained the runway has reached the conclusion of its operational life following roughly 40 years without comprehensive reconstruction.<\/p>\n

Instead of conducting years of nocturnal maintenance, authorities have opted to close the airport for 11 weeks enabling the scheme to progress without interruption, with operations continuing day and night.<\/p>\n

The refurbishment will encompass reconstructing the complete runway, replacing drainage infrastructure, updating airfield illumination, taxiway markings and additional safety apparatus.<\/p>\n

Passenger terminal zones and aircraft parking bays will likewise receive improvements throughout the closure to prevent additional disruption going forward.<\/p>\n

The shutdown is anticipated to significantly affect passengers, with Charleroi Airport processing 11.2 million visitors throughout 2025. The closure is anticipated to impact more than two million passengers.<\/p>\n

Ryanair<\/a> is set to bear the brunt of the disruption. The low-cost airline handles over 80% of all traffic at Charleroi and runs approximately 660 to 670 departures weekly to 114 destinations spanning more than 26 countries. The carrier also maintains a permanent base of over 10 aircraft at the airport.<\/p>\n

Wizz Air<\/a>, the airport’s second-biggest operator, will likewise face considerable disruption. It runs around 45 to 50 departures per week, connecting up to 16 destinations throughout Central, Eastern and Southern Europe.<\/p>\n

Combined, Ryanair and Wizz Air represent nearly 95% of the airport’s yearly passenger numbers. Industry analysts suggest that upwards of 7,300 Ryanair flights and more than 500 Wizz Air flights could face disruption throughout the 11-week closure period.<\/p>\n

Additional carriers flying from Charleroi, including Pegasus Airlines, Air Corsica and Volotea, are also expected to experience disruption while the works take place.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An estimated 7,3000 Ryanair flights could be disrupted 16:53, 09 Aug 2026Updated 16:54, 09 Aug 2026 Ryanair flights…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":588515,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[72,61,60,1899,2521],"class_list":["post-588514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-ryanair","tag-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=588514"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588514\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/588515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=588514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=588514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=588514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}