New flight schedule at Brussels Airport from 2 May

Date of reopening of the departure lounge as yet unknown

From Monday 2 May a new flight schedule will take effect at Brussels Airport. The number of passengers per flight is rising faster than expected, so a new flight schedule has been drawn up for all passengers to leave in complete safety and comfort. The work for a partial reopening of the departure lounge is entering its final phase. However, a date for the reopening cannot be confirmed yet.

As from Monday next week, a new flight schedule will be effective at Brussels Airport. In the temporary structures Brussels Airport can accommodate up to 18,000 departing passengers per day, provided that the passengers arrive evenly spread over the day. Taking into account the applicable safety measures, the growing numbers of passengers per flight and the comfort that Brussels Airport wishes to offer passengers, the slot coordinator, Belgium Slot Coordination, has drawn up a new flight schedule.

According to the alternative flight schedule, the number of departing flights is limited to 22 flights per hour, i.e. fewer flights than during peak hours since the reopening at the beginning of April. The restriction on the number of flights was necessary because the number of passengers per flight has risen. As a consequence the operational capacity of 18,000 passengers per day is reached sooner than expected.

With the new spread of the number of flights, the aim has been to maintain as many flights as possible and at the same time maintain the maximum capacity of 18,000 departing passengers per day. Some flights will therefore be scheduled sooner or later than before, to ensure the smooth throughput of departing passengers in the temporary structures. Brussels Airport advises passengers to check the exact time of departure of their flight on their airline’s website.

Final stage of repair work for part of the departure lounge

Brussels Airport is starting the final phase of the technical preparations for a partial reopening of the departure lounge. The technical repair work is progressing smoothly and will be completed shortly. After that, various certificates and approvals must be issued by Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the federal police and the fire service. The airport will also implement the security measures in the departure lounge that have been ordered by the federal government.

It is not yet known how long these preparations and renovations will take. The airport is
planning a partial reopening at the beginning of May, in consultation with all the security
services.

Brussels Airport, 28 April 2016