1st passenger flight leaves Brussels since March 22 attacks
‘A family more bound together than ever': Brussels Airport reopens after bombing
(about 1 hour later)
BRUSSELS — A Brussels Airlines plane heading to the Portuguese city of Faro took off from Brussels Airport on Sunday, the first passenger flight to leave the airport since suicide bombings on March 22 ripped through its check-in counters.
Last year, Brussels Airport handled more than 650 flights per day on average. On Sunday, it will see just three.
Security at the airport was tight with completely new check-in procedures for passengers.
Officials are celebrating nonetheless, as those passenger flights are the first to take off from the airport since a suicide bomber struck there on March 22, killing several people and causing extensive damage to a departure hall, according to the Associated Press.
Two other planes were scheduled to leave later Sunday — Brussels Airlines flights to Athens and Turin, Italy. The three flights were a test run for a European aviation hub that used to handle 600 flights a day and plans to slowly climb back to normal capacity.
Security was tight and the check-in procedures were new, but flights finally resumed Sunday.
Arnaud Feist, the CEO of Brussels Airport Co., had said ahead of Sunday’s flights that they were a symbolic “sign of hope” following “the darkest days in the history of aviation in Belgium.”
“These flights are the first hopeful sign from an airport that is standing up straight after a cowardly attack,” Brussels Airport CEO Arnaud Feist said in a statement. “That we are able to make this start only 12 days after the devastating attacks is a sign of our collective strength at Brussels Airport.”
On Sunday, he thanked employees for their courage, solidarity and the “impressive work carried out in so little time.”
The first flight took off for Faro, Portugal. The others head to Athens and to Turin, Italy. All were Brussels Airlines flights.
“We are more than an airport ... We are a family more bound together than ever,” he said at a ceremony at the airport.
Happy to welcome passengers to #brusselsairport again today. Thanks to all staff & thoughts, forever, to the victims. #BrusselsTribute — Brussels Airport (@BrusselsAirport) April 3, 2016
“It will take time to accept what happened and more time to get over the pain,” Feist said as the flight for Faro took off. “But we will never forget.”
Happy to welcome passengers to #brusselsairport again today. Thanks to all staff & thoughts, forever, to the victims. #BrusselsTribute
Damage to the airport was extensive when double suicide bombs exploded near its crowded check-in counters 12 days ago, killing 16 victims and maiming people from around the world. Another bombing that day on a Brussels subway train killed 16 other people. Both attacks were claimed by the Islamic State group.
— Brussels Airport (@BrusselsAirport) April 3, 2016
Feist said Belgium’s biggest airport should be back around 20 percent of capacity on Monday and able to process 800 passengers an hour. He said Saturday that he hoped full service at the airport could be restored by the end of June or the beginning of July in time for the summer vacation season.
At a ceremony on Sunday, Feist described the flights as a “sign of hope,” according to AP.
However, traffic may take time to return to its previous pace. Delta Airlines said on Saturday that it was suspending service between Atlanta and Brussels until March 2017.
“We are more than an airport…. We are a family more bound together than ever,” he said.
New security measures at the airport aimed to minimize the chances of any repeat attacks.
Another bombing in March 22, on a Brussels subway train, killed more than a dozen people. The Islamic State militant group asserted responsibility for both attacks.
Police on Sunday conducted spot checks of vehicles before they arrived. A large white tent was set up outside the terminal to screen travelers’ IDs, travel documents and bags before they were allowed to enter a specially built area for check-in.
Officials plan to slowly increase the number of flights departing from the airport in the coming days, eventually expanding to include arrivals and other airlines.
A drop-off parking area outside the terminal was closed down and authorities said there would be no rail or public transport access to the airport for the foreseeable future.
Because of its use of temporary structures, however, the airport estimates that it will be able to process only 800 departing passengers per hour for now. Officials hope to resume full service by the end of June, in time for the summer holidays.
The bombers entered the check-in area with suitcases packed with explosives and nails, and the resulting blasts collapsed the airport’s ceiling and shattered windows.
Read more:
The attacks have prompted a wider discussion among aviation authorities in many countries over whether to impose routine security checks at the entry to airport terminals
Belgian authorities arrest a third suspect in foiled terrorist attack on France
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A terror attack exposed Belgium’s security failings. Europe’s problem is far bigger.
John-Thor Dahlburg contributed.
What we know about the attacks in Brussels
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