Fines for Belgians but not for foreigners? The SNCB airport-ticket row explained
The claim, so far single-sourced and not confirmed by the rail operator, revives a long-running grievance over the airport's Diabolo access surcharge and raises awkward equal-treatment questions for a federal public company.
In 30 seconds
- The Francophone site 7sur7 reports SNCB employees saying Belgians without a valid airport ticket are fined while foreign travellers are effectively not pursued.
- The cited reason is practical: penalties are hard to collect from tourists with foreign addresses who are about to board a flight, whereas Belgian residents are traceable and billable.
- Reaching Brussels Airport-Zaventem station requires the Diabolo supplement, a boarding surcharge added to the standard SNCB fare.
- The Diabolo airport rail link opened in 2012 and was part-financed through a per-passenger fee arrangement.
The story concerns the Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Belges (SNCB), Belgium's federal public rail operator, and enforcement of ticket penalties on trains to Brussels Airport-Zaventem station. Access to that station requires the Diabolo supplement, a boarding surcharge added to the standard fare to repay the private financing of the airport rail link opened in 2012. The Francophone site 7sur7 reports that SNCB employees say passengers caught without a valid ticket are fined if they are Belgian residents (who are traceable and billable) but effectively not pursued if they are foreign travellers about to fly out. Rail is a federal competence under the government of Prime Minister Bart De Wever; the airport lies in Flanders; and EU law bars nationality-based discrimination between EU citizens, making the enforceability explanation the more consequential framing.
Background
The Diabolo project added a dedicated northern rail connection and tunnel to Brussels Airport, opening in 2012, and was part-financed through a public-private arrangement repaid by a per-passenger boarding surcharge. That surcharge has been criticised for years as an extra levy on air travellers and airport staff. SNCB's fare-penalty framework has periodically drawn complaints over how fixed fines are applied and collected, and rail fares more broadly have been a recurring flashpoint amid federal budget pressure and negotiations over the operator's public-service contract.
What to do
Passengers travelling to Brussels Airport by train should ensure they hold a valid ticket including the Diabolo supplement; the reported enforcement gap does not change the rule that a valid airport ticket is required, and Belgian residents remain the most likely to be billed for penalties.
The Belgian angle
The station is in Flanders (Zaventem) and serves a heavily international passenger base, but fare policy is set federally, so any change would come from SNCB and the federal government rather than Flemish authorities. Brussels and Walloon commuters connecting through the capital to the airport are among those most exposed to the surcharge and to the penalty regime described.
EvidenceDeveloping · 1 primary source · some details remain unconfirmedExplore evidence →Hide evidence ↑
- Publication date unavailable
- Retrieved by ODIN:
- 26 Jul 2026
- Publication date unavailable
- Retrieved by ODIN:
- 26 Jul 2026
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