Brussels Airport Company has received a green light from the fire department and the Directorate-General for Air Transport (DGTA) to re-launch passenger flights. However, the competent authorities must still take a decision on a date for the resumption of passenger activities. Therefore, there will be no passenger flights before Friday night.
These last days, Brussels Airport Company, the fire department, DGTA, the Federal police and the Army have thoroughly evaluated the test in real conditions carried out with 800 volunteers from the airport staff. Brussels Airport Company has implemented the measures resulting from this evaluation, which prompted the fire department and DGTA to grant an authorisation to re-start operation at a reduced scale.
Technically, the airport is thus ready to re-launch passenger activities with temporary installations for the check-in of the passengers and the registration of their baggage. This installation was set up in a few days and will be able to handle the departures of some 800 passengers an hour, which corresponds to about 20% of the regular flow of the airport.
Passengers arriving at Brussels Airport will use the regular way to the baggage claim and the arrival hall in the terminal. This area was only slightly damaged and has already been repaired to be in working order by now.
The last step for a resumption of passenger activities is a formal approval from the political authorities. Without this approval it has been decided not to go ahead before Friday evening.
—————————-
Brussels Airport press release:
Brussels Airport Company has received the go ahead from the fire services and the Belgian Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA) for a partial restart of passenger flights at the airport. However, the authorities have yet to take a formal decision on the restart date. Until Friday evening no passenger flights will take place at Brussels Airport.
The last few days, Brussels Airport Company, public fire services, the BCAA, Federal Police and Defence have thoroughly been evaluating the large scale trial run of Tuesday. Brussels Airport Company has been actively handling the action items of this evaluation for which last night the public fire services and BCAA gave their approval for a restart.
The airport is thus technically ready for a restart of passenger flights in the temporary infrastructure foreseen for check-in. In the past few days a provisional infrastructure that would allow the airport to receive 800 departing passengers per hour, or 2.5 million departing passengers a year was erected. That’s about 20% of the normal capacity at Brussels Airport.
On the other hand, arriving passengers will go through the usual baggage reclaim and arrivals in the terminal. This zone was only slightly damaged and has since been restored for use.
The final step for the restart is the formal political approval. In the meantime, it has been decided that there will be no passenger flights until Friday evening.
Brussels Airport, 31 March 2016
This post was published on 31 March 2016 14:53
Lufthansa will end Airbus A340-600 passenger operations on 18 October, with the final scheduled service…
A technical failure affecting Italy’s air traffic control systems disrupted flights at Brussels Airport on…
Red Sea Airlines) charter flight 4S321 from Hurghada, Egypt, to St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, operated…
Airbus is preparing to decide on an expansion of A350 production capacity as airlines seek…
Ryanair responded to a passenger’s complaint about its windowless seat 11A with a characteristic social-media…
VINCI Airports has launched the redevelopment of Terminal 2 at Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport, with opening…