Brussels airport runs nearly 40 flights
Number a far cry from the 600 handled a day
BRUSSELS, April 4, (Agencies): Brussels airport scheduled nearly 40 flights Monday, officials said, as Belgium struggles to get back to normal after two suicide bombers blew themselves up in the departure hall nearly two weeks ago.
The number was a sharp rise over the three flights at Belgium’s main air hub on Sunday, but a far cry from the 600 the airport usually handles per day, officials said.
“Some 39 passenger flights, most of them arriving from or departing to European cities, are planned,” Brussels Airlines spokesman Kim Dae-nen told AFP, adding her company was the only operator on Monday.
On Tuesday, the airline will run 89 flights, with 48 heading to European destinations, five to Africa and one to New York. Some 40 return flights are planned.
Brussels airport spokeswoman Florence Mulls said other companies such as Dutch carrier KLM will operate from Wednesday.
Blew
The airport reopened Sunday for the first time since two Islamic State commandos blew themselves up in the departure hall on March 22 in coordinated blasts that also struck a metro station in the Belgian capital, killing a total of 32 people.
Brussels Airlines planes flew Sunday to the Portuguese city of Faro, then Athens and Turin before all three returned, officials said.
Two big white tents now serve as temporary check-in facilities and passengers were asked to come three hours before departure to allow time for tight new security checks.
There was also a strong security presence inside the tents where passengers walked through metal detectors and had their bags screened before checking in and being allowed to enter the main building.
Under the new system, only passengers with travel and ID documents are allowed into the makeshift departure hall, and all bags will be checked before entering. Once inside, travellers will still have to go through the usual security barriers.
The airport will initially only be accessible by car, with no access for buses and trains. Vehicles will be screened and subject to spot checks.
It will take months to repair the departure hall, according to airport chief executive Arnaud Feist.
The damage from the blasts was severe, with pictures from the scene showing the building’s glass-fronted facade in shatters, collapsed ceilings and destroyed check-in desks.
Feist said he expected the airport to start running normally again from late June or early July.
Brussels airport, which claims to contribute some three billion euros ($3.4 billion) annually to the Belgian economy, has not released any figures on the economic impact of the shutdown, but Brussels Airlines has said it was losing five million euros daily.
“We’re back.” Those were the words spoken by Brussels Airport chief executive Arnaud Feist on Sunday as he watched the first plane take off since the departure hall was wrecked in deadly Islamic State attacks on March 22.
But while a temporary check-in facility has allowed for a partial resumption of services at the key European travel hub, Feist told AFP that it will take months to repair the building.
Here are some key quotes from the interview:
Question: Why did it take 12 days for the airport to reopen?
Feist: “There was a lot of damage to the check-in desks and the air conditioning system was blown apart. There is much that needs to be repaired. The two piers (leading to the departure gates) were untouched, but the check-in area absolutely needs to be rebuilt. Our teams have worked day and night to set up a temporary structure so passengers can check in under conditions that are comfortable, I would say minimal, but at least they can depart.”
“We are at the first stage of a process and it will be months before we can return to full capacity at the airport.”
Q: Has the airport’s closure for 12 days inflicted a significant economic impact?
Feist: “Indeed. Brussels airport is the country’s second-largest econom- ic engine. We have 20,000 people working here and the airport generates 60,000 jobs in total across the country. So it was essential for the Belgian economy that we restart as soon as possible.”
“We haven’t yet been able to determine exactly when we will be back at full capacity but the summer holidays, which start late June, early July, are very important to many Belgians going on holiday, so we will do our best to increase capacity by as much as possible by then.”
Q: What is airport morale like right now?
Feist: “There were many deaths but also many injuries (in the March 22 blasts, which also struck a metro station and killed 32 overall). Everyone here was really shocked by what happened. As well as the victims themselves, many of our colleagues lived through very, very painful scenes. So it was important to give them this moment of hope and say ‘look, we have reopened and we are standing strong’.”
“We are getting back to work and restarting some activities but I wouldn’t say things are ‘normal’ because the word normal doesn’t mean what it did 12 days ago. For many it’s also a part of the grieving process to return to the place where the attacks happened.”
Also:
PARIS: The head of the French national rail service says that train marshals, armed and allowed to use their weapons, will be patrolling some passenger trains, one of a series of new security measures.
Guillaume Pepy said on i Tele TV on Sunday that the marshals will be in civilian dress, chosen from the SNCF train authority’s 3,000 security agents and trained for the task.
Among other measures, a team of profilers will survey some of the 40,000 train station cameras for suspicious behavior, and security portals in some stations will add arms and explosives detection.
The November Paris attacks added to security concerns already prevalent after a radical tried to carry out an attack on a train last August that was aborted by three American travelers.