Cool, Relax & Respect, We work for you: Brussels South Charleroi Airport launches a campaign to raise awareness about aggression towards its staff
CHARLEROI, 10 September 2025 – In 2024, Brussels South Charleroi Airport recorded 77 physical and/or verbal assaults on its staff, and many more on its partners’ employees. In response to the upsurge in rudeness and violence, the airport is launching an awareness-raising campaign aimed at passengers, to remind them of the importance of respecting the staff and partners who ensure the smooth running of the airport every day and do their utmost to guarantee a hassle-free, safe and pleasant journey for everyone.
Every day, hundreds of men and women get up early, work late, sometimes in tense conditions, to welcome, inform, guide, secure and accompany passengers. They make sure your trip runs smoothly. And yet they are all too often the victims of verbal aggression, inappropriate actions and even physical violence. Plane delayed? Long queues? A luggage surcharge? Invalid ID documents? There is no shortage of examples. Stressed, angry and sometimes under the influence of alcohol, some passengers take it out on front-line airport staff.
A phenomenon on the rise
Only taking into account the staff of Brussels South Charleroi Airport, in 2024, 77 incidents involving third parties were recorded, mainly affecting agents dealing with passengers. Of these 77 incidents, 11 involved physical violence, sometimes resulting in incapacity for work. The other incidents were verbal assaults, which may have had sexual or discriminatory connotations. Over the first seven months of the year, the airport has already recorded 38 incidents involving third parties, including 19 physical assaults. In addition, there have been numerous attacks on employees working for the airport’s partners. Perpetrators of violence risk being turned away from their flight and also having to answer to the police for their actions.
“These attacks are intolerable,” explains Christophe Segaert, CEO of Brussels South Charleroi Airport. “Our teams and partners are on the front line, often in demanding environments. This campaign is a call for civic responsibility, but it is also a tribute to their daily commitment. We have zero tolerance when it comes to assaults! Not only do we need to train our staff to manage these conflict situations, but it is also important that we make passengers aware of the consequences of their totally unjustified actions and to remind them that respect and kindness are essential, especially in a transport hub, which is often stressful for everyone.”
Because any single act of aggression is one too many, and because Brussels South Charleroi Airport cannot tolerate the use of violence against its staff and those of its partners, the airport has taken several measures to combat this situation. The airport organises conflict management training for its staff so that they can respond appropriately to aggression, and has introduced a support system provided by a specialist team in the event of any aggression.
Comic strips to support the campaign
To raise passenger awareness about this growing problem, Brussels South Charleroi Airport is also launching a poster campaign featuring comic strips. Charlie, the airport’s rabbit mascot, is the main character. Through three conflict situations (a passenger who has to pay extra for her luggage, someone with limited mobility who takes it out on the agent who is not going fast enough, and a passenger who does not have the right ID documents) the airport is keen to highlight the work of its staff who go out of their way to ensure passenger satisfaction. Committed and motivated, airport staff are at the service of passengers, but they must also make sure that airport regulations and the rules specific to each airline are respected. This is to ensure everyone’s safety and comfort. As such, they deserve everyone’s respect. Just as they deserve “cool” and “relaxed” passengers who are grateful for the work they have done.
With the message “We work for you”, the campaign takes the form of posters displayed at key points in the terminal. It also includes neck lanyards for staff, luggage clips for passengers and a gift for children who like drawing.
This campaign is also part of a wider drive to appreciate people’s work on the ground, prevent psychosocial risks, and make the airport a space for mutual respect.
