Brussels airport strike ends

Traffic at Brussels airport returned to normal today after negotiators sealed a deal to end a strike by baggage handlers, Brussels airport spokesman Jan Van der Cruysse said.

"Passengers leaving today will hardly notice that there has been a strike", Van der Cruysse told Reuters.

Most flights were departing on time, although some charter flights still faced delays, he added.

It will take at least a few days before the accumulated 20,000 pieces of stranded luggage are returned to their owners, but efforts are under way, Van der Cruysse said.

Baggage handlers started a 24-hour strike on Sunday evening but as the walkout stretched beyond that deadline, the industrial action over pay and working conditions sparked chaos and left thousands of passengers stranded.

According to Van der Cruysse some 120,000 travellers were affected by the strike as most flights in and out of the airport were cancelled, delayed or diverted.