NewsWorld newsRyanairClose to 20,000 passengers were disrupted after their flights were cancelled on short notice due to a wildcat strike by Belgian ATC controllers and Ryanair has said it is "unacceptable"06:50, 03 Jun 2026Budget carrier Ryanair has issued a statement after more than flights were cancelled on short notice, leaving passengers stranded.‌The airline on Tuesday, June 2, condemned what they labelled as an 'illegal wildcat' strike by Belgian air traffic controllers.‌The strike caused 100 Ryanair flights to/from Charleroi and Zaventem Airports to be cancelled on short notice and almost 20,000 passengers' plans were disrupted, the airline said.‌"It is unacceptable that passengers travelling to/from Belgium today (2 June) are suffering flight cancellations and delays as a result of a tiny number of Belgian air traffic controllers’ decision to strike with zero notice given to airlines who pay millions of euros annually for ATC services, which have been withdrawn today without any prior notice," the airline said in a statement."If Belgian ATC controllers must go on strike, they should provide fair and sufficient notice – at least 24 hours – so that airlines can reorganise flights and protect passengers – many of whom are travelling on holidays with young families – from unnecessary cancellations."‌Ryanair's Chief Executive Officer Michael O'Leary said that while the airline respects the right to strike, "it is unacceptable that airlines were given zero notice of today’s Belgian ATC strike."O'Leary said that if a strike must occur, then fair notice should be provided to airlines to enable them to reorganise schedules and minimise the impact on people "who pay for these high priced but low service ATC."Article continues belowRyanair travellers could be affected by separate strike action on Wednesday, June 3. Portugal will see a general strike on Wednesday.It has previously been reported that around 500 flights from different airlines could be affected. Rival EasyJet has said there could be some disruption for passengers on the day. Ryanair has said it will operate as normal.It will be the second time the nation has been hit by a general strike in recent months in protest at labour reforms the Portuguese government is planning. The disruption is likely to affect many areas of the country.Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌RyanairStrikesAtc Inc.Michael O'Leary