Strike to close Brussels airport overnight Monday

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -- Brussels airport is to be hit on Monday night for the second time in a week by a fire service workers' strike against privatization of airport activities, the airport's services company BIAC said.

A BIAC official told Reuters that around 20 passenger flights would have to be cancelled.

The airport, which serves as a hub for national airline Sabena, is set to close between 10 p.m local time (2000 GMT) on Monday and 6:45 a.m. (0445 GMT) on Tuesday, BIAC said in a statement.

"Operations will resume again as normal on Tuesday from 6:45 a.m," BIAC said.

The strike, organised by the socialist CGSP public service union, is in protest against privatisation plans for BIAC. It will be accompanied by simultaneous action at national telecommunications company Belgacom.

The airport was forced to briefly close one of its two runways on Monday last week after not enough firemen turned up for work on an early morning shift.

The BIAC official said at least 10 firemen were needed to work a shift in order to keep the airport fully operational.

The airport was forced to shut down in May due to a strike by firefighters, costing Sabena, a unit of SAirGroup, hundreds of millions of Belgian francs.

Budget airline Virgin Express also flies from Brussels along with charter airline CityBird.

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Brussels Airport

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