Tuesday 29 March is currently scheduled for a test reopening of Brussels Zaventem Airport, after last week’s horrific airport and downtown metro attacks left a total of 31 people dead and 300 injured on Tuesday 22 March.

 

According to a statement by management this weekend, Brussels Airport is preparing to partially resume passenger flights and implement new security measures as directed by the Federal Government. To achieve this, on Tuesday the airport will try out temporary new passenger flows and check-in procedures. This follows more than four days of inspection and forensic investigations, along with damage assessment within the terminals.

 

Brussels Airport Company has been studying a temporary solution to partially resume passenger flights, taking into account the new unspecified security measures that will now apply at Belgian airports.

 

This follows the completion of analysis by the airport’s engineers of the damage caused, along with inspections by technicians and independent experts.

 

 

The good news is that both the main and connector buildings where hand luggage and passengers are usually checked are stable. Airport management is now investigating where it can install more temporary check-in desks to cope with the expected passenger numbers when the terminal reopens.

 

Until now, nobody has been allowed to enter the departures hall – not even airport staff.

 

In an earlier statement Brussels Airport CEO Arnaud Feist said: “On behalf of the entire airport community, I would like to extend our warmest condolences to the family and friends of the victims of these cowardly and heinous acts.

 

UNSUNG HEROES…

“I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the emergency and rescue services, passengers and staff for their compassion, solidarity and help.”

 

Meanwhile, Belgian police have now detained and charged a man who is suspected of direct involvement with the attacks. At the same time, the planning for the Brussels attacks is also said to be directly linked to the 13 November Paris gun and bomb killings where responsibility was claimed by Islamic State (IS).

 

BIG SECURITY SUMMIT IS IMMINENT

This latest airport incident has also led to the European Commission calling a special aviation security meeting involving representatives from all 28 EU member states on Thursday 31 March.

 

At the same time, ACI Europe has warned that the adoption of additional security measures such as checks on persons and goods entering airport landside spaces could be disruptive and actually create new security vulnerabilities.

 

 

ACI said in a statement: “By displacing the gathering of passengers and airport visitors to spaces not designed for that purpose – such measures would essentially be moving the target rather than securing it.”

 

ACI Europe adds that fully securing public spaces through additional security checks ‘would be unrealistic and inefficient’ and it suggests that the best way forward to fight terrorism is to step up capabilities for the gathering, coordination and sharing of intelligence and data.