For approximately eleven weeks in 2028, operations at Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL) will come to a temporary halt as its only runway undergoes a major rehabilitation programme. Beyond the engineering work, the closure will test the airport’s ability to maintain airline confidence, minimise operational disruption and ensure a smooth return to operations once the runway reopens.
Unlike airports with multiple runways, Charleroi has no operational alternative. Rebuilding its only runway means suspending all flight operations.
The rehabilitation is intended to strengthen the airport’s long-term resilience while reducing future disruption by combining several infrastructure projects into a single closure.
More than construction
For airlines, an eleven-week shutdown is far more than an engineering project.
Aircraft must be redeployed. Crews need new schedules. Maintenance plans must be adjusted. Ground handlers, fuel suppliers, catering companies and other airport partners will also need to reorganise their operations.
Most airlines are expected to return once the runway reopens. However, a temporary relocation creates commercial uncertainty. Fleet deployment and network planning may be reassessed while aircraft are based elsewhere.
Ryanair, Charleroi’s largest airline, has yet to explain how it will manage operations during the shutdown.
The runway closure also comes shortly after Ryanair announced plans to remove five based aircraft from Charleroi following Belgium’s increase in passenger taxes. Although unrelated to the rehabilitation programme, the decision illustrates the commercial pressures facing the airport.
Where will flights go?
No official relocation plan has been announced.
Any temporary transfer of flights will depend on slot availability, ground handling capacity and infrastructure at alternative airports. The temporary redistribution of traffic could therefore place additional operational pressure on airports in Belgium and neighbouring countries.
Beyond the runway
Charleroi is a passenger airport and the main Belgian hub for low-cost carriers. Even so, the temporary redistribution of traffic could influence operational capacity, resource allocation and demand for aviation services across the Belgian airport network.
The shutdown will also affect thousands of employees and airport businesses. Belgian trade unions have already raised concerns about employment and how quickly the airport’s route network will recover after reopening.
The real challenge begins after reopening
The runway rehabilitation also comes at a challenging time for the airport. According to Holidu’s 2026 ranking, based on Google Maps reviews of 85 major European airports, Brussels South Charleroi Airport ranked 84th out of 85, making it the second-lowest rated airport in the survey. Although unrelated to operational performance, the ranking illustrates that the airport also faces reputational challenges.
Many regional airports across Europe operate with a single runway and will eventually face similar infrastructure projects. Charleroi’s experience could therefore become an important case study in balancing infrastructure investment with operational continuity and airline confidence.
For Charleroi, success will not be measured solely by a rebuilt runway. It will depend on how effectively the airport maintains airline confidence, restores traffic and returns to long-term growth.
Rebuilding the runway will take around eleven weeks. Maintaining airline confidence will be the project’s real measure of success.
