Belgium has halted all incoming and outbound air traffic for 24 hours as air traffic controllers participate in a national strike over low wages. According to CNN, Belgium's air traffic authority, Skeyes, announced a shutdown of all air traffic between Tuesday at 10 p.m. and Wednesday at 10 p.m. local time.

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In a press release, the agency wrote:

The management takes its responsibility to guarantee the safety of air traffic. In view of the great uncertainty about the occupation of some crucial posts in the operational services, this guarantee can only be given by not allowing air traffic.

The strike was organized by the country's three major trade unions, which are trying to negotiate higher wages for Belgium's public sector employees. That means air traffic controllers have been swept up in the day of protest. An airport spokesman told the BBC that a strike "has never had such a significant impact"on the country's aviation industry.

Commercial planes flying below 24,600 feet won't be allowed in Belgian airspace during the 24-hour window, though government, military, and emergency flights will be allowed. Aircraft operating above 24,600 feet, on the other hand, are overseen by a Eurocontrol, a European air traffic organization, so they will be permitted to enter Belgian airspace.

The shutdown has triggered delays and mass cancellations throughout Europe and beyond, with CNN reporting a total of 591 cancellations at Brussels airport. Many flights have had to veer off course, taking various detours:

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Brussels' Airport is practically a ghost town, as a video uploaded to Reddit shows it vacated:

The country's rail lines have also been affected, with cancellations and delays bringing the system to half its normal capacity.

The shock to Belgium's aviation industry comes just a few weeks after a near-disaster here in the U.S. The U.S. government shutdown was temporarily halted at least in part because of its disastrous effect on American airspace. For weeks, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers opted to call out sick instead of working for no pay. In late January, staffing shortages at major airports caused chaos and flight cancellations on the east coast. After calling for a general strike to end the impasse, the Association of Flight Attendants union president Sarah Nelson told Popular Mechanics that the shutdown represented a "disaster" for U.S. aviation safety.

If President Trump fails to sign a bipartisan bill to fund the government beyond Friday, February 15, we could find ourselves right back in that crappy situation. The fate of the U.S. aviation industry clearly hinges on that signature.

Source: CNN