A baggage handlers strike at Brussels international airport forced the cancellation of 130 out of 630 flights scheduled for Monday, the fifth day of the dispute, an official said.

Handlers at Belgian firm Aviapartner went on strike last Thursday over demands for better working conditions at Brussels-Zaventem airport, with 100 flights cancelled on Friday and still more over the weekend.

An official at Brussels airport told AFP 130 out of the 630 flights scheduled for Monday had been cancelled.

The Belga news agency said talks over the weekend failed to resolve the dispute and new discussions were scheduled for Monday.

The first day of the strike came at the end of a school holiday in neighbouring Netherlands and the start of one in Belgium that coincides with All Saints Day on November 1.

Brussels airport is the largest in Belgium, with nearly 25 million passengers passing through last year, compared to seven million at Charleroi airport in the south, the country's second biggest.

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