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Government meets on reopening Brussels airport After 10 days, Brussels airport remains closed to passengers
(about 5 hours later)
BRUSSELS — Belgium’s prime minister and key members of the government met Friday to discuss when to reopen Brussels Airport, devastated by suicide bombers last week. BRUSSELS — Struck by suicide bombers 10 days ago, the airport known as “the heart of Europe” has stopped beating temporarily, causing headaches for thousands of business and vacation travelers, and painful financial losses for Belgium’s capital and tourism industry.
As the government Security Council gathered behind closed doors, Belgian police unions demanded tighter screening of passengers and baggage before they are allowed into the facility. It’s unclear when the Brussels Airport will reopen, even after a meeting Friday by Prime Minister Charles Michel and key members of the government.
The unions threatened not to go back to work until the additional security measures they advocate are implemented. Police unions have demanded tighter screening of passengers and baggage before both are allowed back into the facility, and they threatened to strike if their demands aren’t met. Negotiations with an Interior Ministry representative were continuing Friday evening, with union representatives reporting progress.
The airport and a Brussels subway train were targeted by suicide bombers March 22 in an attack that killed 32. Three suicide bombers also died. Patrick Bontinck, general manager of Visit Brussels, the official municipal tourist organization, said hotel reservations have dropped by half since the March 22 attacks at the airport and the Brussels Metro, meaning a loss of 8,000-10,000 visitors a day to the city that is home to the headquarters of the European Union and U.S.-led NATO alliance, and styles itself as “the capital of Europe.”
The subway station remains closed, and the whole network is running a reduced service. One cause for the drop in business, Bontinck said, is the suspension of the 600 daily passenger flights to and from the Brussels Airport, transporting more than 1.5 million passengers in February. But he said there has also been an overall “decline in image” for Belgium’s capital, a popular destination for lovers of beer, chocolate and Flemish art and architecture. The city has been identified in countless international media accounts as a hotbed of Islamic radicalism.
Brussels Airport chief Arnaud Feist told RTBF state broadcasting that temporary repairs now completed will permit the processing of 800 passengers an hour, about 20 percent of the airport’s original capacity. Feist said he hopes the airport terminal heavily damaged in the bombings can be rebuilt in time to restore full capacity by the start of the summer vacation season. Brussels may not be the only capital to be suffering economic consequences from the bloodiest explosion of extremist violence in Belgium since World War II. Bontinck said figures received by his office indicated hotel reservations over the same period dropped 35 percent in Paris, 38 percent in Berlin and 29 percent in London.
According to Eurocontrol, the European agency for air traffic control, Brussels Airport, which is Belgium’s largest, handles about 600 passenger flights a day. Since it has been closed, some airlines have been using smaller alternate airports in Belgium, including at Liege, Charleroi, Antwerp and Ostend. Other carriers are shuttling passengers to and from Brussels by bus from major European air travel hubs like Frankfurt. “The impact is general,” he said.
The bombings were claimed by the Islamic State extremist organization. In central Brussels, a multifaith wreath-laying ceremony was held Friday to demonstrate the nation’s unity in the face of the deadliest extremist violence to strike Belgium since World War II. TUI Belgium, one of Belgium’s biggest tour operators, said the attacks came at a tough time for the industry: just days before the two-week Easter school vacation.
“We represent the union of all the religious communities of this country,” said Salah Echallaoui, president of the umbrella organization for government-authorized mosques and Islamic organizations. “We want to send the message that we are one indivisible people: Muslim, Jew, Christian, and other.” The company said that it only canceled one flight from Brussels Airport, on the same day two suicide bombers struck the departure hall, killing 16 people. A separate suicide bomber in a Metro train killed another 16 people.
“I want to show that there is no conflict between Judaism and Islam,” said Albert Guigui, chief rabbi of Brussels. “We have always lived in harmony... This is why we are here together to show that there is no tension between Jews and Muslims.” TUI spokeswoman Florence Bruyere said a convoy of buses was quickly put in place, running travelers to and from Brussels to another airport on the North Sea coast at Ostend.
In Maastricht, Netherlands, a joint funeral was held for a Dutch sister and brother who were killed in the airport as they were heading back to New York where they lived. “We were all shocked and shaken by the attacks, but life continues. Family holidays are really important,” she said. “People have made plans, they’ve made reservations, and they really want to head off on vacation.”
Alexander Pinczowski, 29, was on the phone with his mother in the Netherlands when a bomb blew up and the line went dead. According to Eurocontrol, the European agency for air traffic control, since the suspension of passenger service, some airlines, like TUI, have been using smaller airports in Belgium, including at Liege, Charleroi and Antwerp, while other carriers are shuttling passengers to and from Brussels by bus from major European air hubs like Frankfurt.
Sascha Pinczowski, 26, was a 2015 graduate of Marymount Manhattan College with a degree in business. But many travelers have been inconvenienced. Three groups of 17 students and three adult chaperones from Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tennessee, on spring study programs were supposed to rendezvous in Brussels the day of the bombings. Instead, the group flying in from Athens was diverted to Duesseldorf, Germany, their colleagues in Spain had to wait a day and fly to Frankfurt, and students who expected to travel to Brussels by train from London had to go to Frankfurt by jet as well.
“It took us 48 hours to get all the kids back together,” said Barbara England, chairman of the university’s Department of Fine Arts. Organizers decided to cut the semester short, but due to the continuing travel disruptions caused by the Brussels attacks, she said, “it took us a week to get back to Tennessee.”
Brussels Airport CEO Arnaud Feist told RTBF state broadcasting that temporary repairs now completed will permit the processing of 800 passengers an hour, about 20 percent of the airport’s original capacity. Feist said he hopes terminal areas heavily damaged by the bombs can be rebuilt in time to restore full capacity by the onset of summer vacation season.
According to airport officials, the arrivals area was only slightly damaged, and passengers flying into Brussels will go through the usual baggage claim and other procedures.
Bruyere said her company has no idea when the facility will reopen but “hopes to recommence as soon as possible.”
“We are just starting the travel high season now,” she said. “July and August are really important months for us.”
The Brussels attacks were claimed by the Islamic State group. In the city center, a multifaith wreath-laying ceremony was held Friday to demonstrate Belgium’s unity in the face of the extremist violence.
“We want to send the message that we are one indivisible people: Muslim, Jew, Christian, and other,” said Salah Echallaoui, president of an umbrella group for government-authorized mosques and Islamic organizations.
“We have always lived in harmony,” said Albert Guigui, Brussels’ chief rabbi. “This is why we are here together, to show that there is no tension between Jews and Muslims.”
In Maastricht, Netherlands, a joint funeral was held for a Dutch brother and sister killed at the airport as they were flying back to New York where they lived.
Alexander Pinczowski, 29, was on the phone with his mother when a bomb detonated and the line went dead. Sascha Pinczowski, 26, was a 2015 graduate of Marymount Manhattan College with a degree in business.
The EU’s police coordination agency Europol said it held a joint operational meeting Friday with Belgian Federal Police to exchange information about the operating methods of the bombers and also support follow-up inquiries in other countries. More than 50 counterterrorism experts and investigators from 30 countries attended, Europol said.
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David Keyton contributed from Maastricht, Netherlands. Associated Press writers Danica Kirka and Helene Franchineau in Brussels and David Keyton in Maastricht, Netherlands, contributed.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.