Brussels South Charleroi Airport, the second largest airport in Belgium, will close for 11 weeks from August 15 to October 31, 2028, for a major runway upgrade. The 3,200-metre runway will be completely resurfaced at a cost of €50 million (£42.8 million).
Which airlines and routes are affected?
Ryanair, which has a base at Charleroi, operates flights to destinations including Tirana, Vienna, Sarajevo, Sofia, Zagreb, Prague, and Barcelona. Wizz Air also flies from the airport to Skopje, Warsaw, Bucharest, Budapest, and Pristina. Air Arabia and Air Corsica offer seasonal flights to Oujda, Ajaccio, Bastia, Calvi, and Figari. In 2024, the busiest route was to Bucharest, used by 343,858 passengers, followed by Tirana, Bergamo, Budapest, and Manchester. There is no direct flight to London from Charleroi.
What about slot rules?
Existing flights will need to be diverted, though interim plans are limited. Trade unions have expressed concern about whether all routes will return after the closure. Charleroi, being in the EU, is subject to the European Commission's use-it-or-lose-it slot rule, which requires airlines to use at least 80% of slots to retain them. However, exceptions apply when an airport or airspace is closed.
Airport statement
A spokesperson for Charleroi Airport said: 'A complete refurbishment of Charleroi Airport’s sole runway (which has an estimated lifespan of 25 years), together with other major infrastructure modernisation works, has been scheduled by SOWAER for the second half of 2028. These investments are intended to ensure the airport’s long-term safety, operational performance and attractiveness. To minimise the overall duration of the disruption, the various construction projects will be carried out simultaneously. This will require a temporary suspension of air traffic during the works. We are currently working closely with all stakeholders to plan these projects, identify operational constraints and manage their impacts.'
Other airport closures
Earlier this year, Coventry Airport in the West Midlands closed after 90 years, having been used by Wizz Air until 2008 and later only for air ambulance and private flights. Alderney Airport also announced closure for a runway revamp, widening it by five metres and updating lighting.
