BRUSSELS AIRPORT TO REOPEN SUNDAY WITH TIGHTER SECURITY
Brussels Airport, which was shut down after a deadly attack March 22 by suicide bombers, was set to reopen Sunday with limited flights and tighter security, airport officials said.
Airport CEO Arnaud Feist said Saturday that Brussels Airlines, Belgium’s leading carrier, will operate the first flights bound for Faro in Portugal, Turin in Italy, and Athens.
Feist said the country has just lived through “the darkest days in the history of aviation in Belgium.”
“This restart, even partial, is a sign of hope,” he said.
The airport had been closed since the attacks killed 16 people at the check-in area and another 16 in the Brussels subway. At least 270 people were injured.
Two of the airport terrorists died in the suicide assault. A third man, seen in surveillance video wearing a hat, fled after his bomb failed to go off and has been the object of an intense manhunt.
A terrorist also died in the bombing at the metro stop in downtown Brussels.
The reopening of the airport was slowed by the need for a thorough examination of the main structure because of the tremendous blast from the bombs. It was initially scheduled to re- open Friday at about 20% capacity, but that was postponed because of a strike by airport police who demanded enhanced security measures.
The dispute was resolved late Friday, the Belgian newspaper Le Soir reported. Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines said Saturday it is suspending one of its two routes to Brussels. Its route from New York JFK will stay in place but its Atlanta route is suspended until March 2017.