Brussels Airport prepares for partial restart

Following last week’s tragic terrorist events in Belgium, Brussels Airport has conducted analysis of the terminal infrastructure and considered possible scenarios for a partial restart of its activities.

Brussels Airport has made an extensive analysis of the terminal infrastructure and of the various possible scenarios for a partial recommencement of its activities. However, the airport is yet to decide when this partial restart will take place. Brussels Airport has also stated that a restart in the short term is not possible in the devastated infrastructure.

Brussels Airport began erecting temporary constructions last Thursday. These include the additional security measures that are being implemented at all Belgian airports on the orders of the government. The departure flow will run via temporary constructions to the ground-floor zone of Connector. There an area will be installed with temporary check-in desks where passengers can report for their flight and also hand in their luggage. From there the route will make use of the service stairway to the familiar screening platform of Connector, which emerged undamaged from the attacks. The passenger and hand-luggage checks will take place in this area and from here the passengers will follow the normal route. For arriving passengers, we are looking at a solution to take them by bus via a hangar.

This scenario has to meet three criteria:

• The temporary constructions must satisfy all construction and fire safety regulations
• The various passengers flows must be tested in real life, to ensure that everything runs smoothly
• The government authorities must give their blessing to the security system that is being implemented

Brussels airport will carry out passenger flows in temporary constructions

The construction and fire safety inspection of the temporary constructions will take place this coming Tuesday. To try out the passenger flows, the airport is organising a major test on Tuesday, whereby 800 airport staff will test the temporary arrangement and infrastructure for the check-in procedure. This test will be developed in consultation with the various airport partners, the Federal Police, Defence, the Belgian Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA).