Belgium has two major airports: Brussels Airport Zaventem (BRU) — international hub with all major carriers — and Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL) — low-cost hub for Ryanair, Wizzair and others. For accessible travellers, planning is crucial: PRM service must be booked in advance and the Sunflower lanyard can signal hidden disabilities without words.
This pillar is the complete guide to accessible flying flow from Belgium.
✈️ The 2 Belgian airports compared
Brussels Airport Zaventem (BRU)
- Location: Zaventem, 12 km NE of Brussels
- Carriers: all majors (Lufthansa, Air France, Emirates, TAP, KLM, etc.)
- Accessibility: train (station inside the airport), car, taxi, bus
- Size: ~26 million passengers/year
- PRM team: Axxicom Airport Caddy
Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL)
- Location: Charleroi, 55 km SE of Brussels
- Carriers: Ryanair (largest hub), Wizzair, TUI, Pegasus
- Accessibility: shuttle bus from Charleroi-Sud + Brussels-Midi, car, taxi
- Size: ~8 million passengers/year
- PRM team: airport's own team
🛬 Booking PRM service
Mandatory booking window
Book at least 48 hours before departure (EU rule). In practice: book when you book your flight.
How to book?
Via the airline:
- Declare your specific disability during online booking or via customer service
- Ask for "PRM service" (Person with Reduced Mobility)
- Specify: wheelchair user, blind, deaf, autism, cognitive disability, hidden disability
Alternative directly via the airport (if the airline is not cooperative):
- Zaventem: via brusselsairport.be/en/passengers/mobility-and-medical-assistance
- Charleroi: via brussels-charleroi-airport.com
What do you get?
- Assistance on arrival (at meeting point or drop-off point)
- Guidance to the gate — via accessible lane at security
- Wheelchair service (if needed) — airport wheelchair or your own all the way onto the aircraft
- Boarding priority — first on board
- Assistance at the arrival airport (cross-border)
🌻 Sunflower lanyard for hidden disabilities
Hidden Disabilities Sunflower = internationally recognised programme that helps people with hidden disabilities (autism, dementia, chronic pain, anxiety disorder, ADHD, etc.) to wordlessly signal to airport staff that they need extra understanding or time.
Where do you get a lanyard?
- Zaventem: free at the PRM desk in the departures hall
- Charleroi: free at the info desk
- For future trips: order your own lanyard via hdsunflower.com
How does it work?
- Wear the lanyard visibly around your neck
- Staff are trained to recognise it — they offer help without you having to explain
- Also works at UK airports, in the Netherlands, Germany and most EU countries
- Also in supermarkets, hospitals and public places — universal adoption is growing
Very useful for:
- Autistic travellers — signals need for fewer stimuli, more time
- Travellers with dementia (older adults)
- Chronic pain (e.g. Ehlers-Danlos, fibromyalgia)
- Anxiety disorders (panic in a busy airport)
🚻 Accessible toilet info
Zaventem
- Accessible toilet in every major zone (before and after security, per gate cluster)
- Changing Places toilet (for people with complex disabilities + carer + hoist) — limited, check the map
- Family room with accessible facilities
Charleroi
- Accessible toilet in departures/arrivals zones
- More limited offer than Zaventem (smaller airport)
🐕 Guide dogs and assistance dogs
Legally allowed in both airports and in the aircraft cabin (free of charge).
Required:
- EU Pet Passport for the dog
- Up-to-date vaccinations (especially rabies)
- ID chip
Important for UK/US: different rules — check per destination.
🎫 Financial benefits
PRM service is free
Under EU Regulation 1107/2006, PRM service is free at EU airports — no extra charges may be asked.
Companion fare
Some airlines offer a discount for the companion of a PRM traveller. Check per airline.
🚂 Public transport accessibility
Zaventem
Belgian Railways (NMBS/SNCB): station inside the airport, directly connected to Brussels-Central, Brussels-North, Brussels-South. Rail assistance available. See the Belgian Railways assistance guide.
Airport Line 12 and 21 from Brussels.
Charleroi
Shuttle bus from Charleroi-Sud and Brussels-Midi — check the accessible bus in advance.
Since the EAA: shuttles are increasingly accessible.
✈️ On the aircraft — practical
Wheelchair transfer
- At the gate on arrival: your own wheelchair is collected at the bottom of the stairs
- Boarding: via an aisle chair (narrow transfer chair for the aircraft aisle)
- Seating: usually fixed — some airlines offer accessible seating (extra room, higher)
Baggage
- Wheelchair does not count as baggage — carried free of charge
- Medical aids (medication, devices) → ask for a hand-baggage exception
- Baggage assistance through PRM service — ask for it
On arrival
- Assistance up to baggage claim and to the pickup point (taxi, family)
- Your own wheelchair is delivered at the gate (or at baggage, depending on the airport)
🌍 Cross-border tips
EU flight
- PRM service mandatory everywhere
- EU Blue Badge is recognised in most EU countries (for arrival parking)
- Travel insurance — check pre-existing conditions
UK flight (post-Brexit)
- Sunflower lanyard recognised at UK airports (good continuity)
- UK Blue Badge is separate from the EU one — see the Blue Badge cross-border deep dive
- Passport control on the UK side on arrival
US/Canada flight
- TSA Cares in the USA — book via the TSA website
- US ADA is stricter than the EU on some points, less strict on others
🎯 Our top recommendations
For a first-time accessible flight: a short hop from Zaventem (e.g. Zaventem-Paris, Zaventem-Amsterdam) — gives you experience with the flow without complex delay risk.
For autistic travellers or others with hidden disabilities: get a Sunflower lanyard for your first flight + practise the airport flow.
For families: book PRM service for every family member who travels with accessibility needs — including companions.
For severe/complex disability: contact the airport's PRM team directly (not just the airline) to align all assistance needs.
Combine with other pillars
- Autism-friendly tourism — Sunflower context
- Deaf and hard-of-hearing tourism — accessible alarms
- Blind and visually impaired tourism — guide dog flow
- Families with a child with a disability — family flight
- Travel insurance with a disability — pre-existing conditions
- Blue Badge in practice — cross-border parking
- European Accessibility Act 1 year — EAA airport obligations
- Belgian Railways assistance guide — Zaventem train flow
- Paris from Belgium cross-border — train as an alternative to a short flight
In closing
The Belgian airports Zaventem and Charleroi are both well equipped for accessible travellers with PRM service, accessible toilets, a Sunflower lanyard programme and an accessible lane at security. For first-time accessible flying, preparation and advance booking are essential.
Our recommendation for a first accessible flight: a short hop Zaventem-Paris or Zaventem-Amsterdam with PRM service and a Sunflower lanyard if relevant — get comfortable with the flow without complex cross-border delay risk.
Do you have accessible flying experiences and tips? Let us know — first-hand info on PRM service quality, accessible flow per airline and Sunflower lanyard adoption helps others.
This pillar is intended as practical travel advice. For medical fitness to fly: always consult your GP or specialist before long-haul flights.