By 7 November all pre-checking white tents opposite the Brussels Airports departure hall will have disappeared. The airport starts to disassemble these temporary structures on 24 October. Several new, less visible safety measures will be introduced instead. The fact that these tents are disappearing is an important step forward for Brussels Airport in its return to business as usual. The Belgian Federal Police shall also introduce new measures to guarantee safety at the airport, as has been decided by the government.

On 1 May Brussels Airport re-opened its departure hall for passengers after the attacks of 22 March. Temporary structures were erected in front of the departure hall so that passengers could be checked. Passengers had to briefly walk through them before entering the terminal.

“These tents are one of the most visible and remarkable measures which were taken after the attacks in order to reinforce safety at the airport’s public areas. By 7 November we aim to have the area where the tents are now, looking like before. Together with dismantling these structures, we are also adjusting the terminal’s entrances so as to give our passengers a more comfortable space which will simultaneously keep a high level of safety thanks to the Federal Police’s new measures”, according to Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport Company.

The first tent shall be dismantled on Monday 24 October and the whole process shall last until 7 November. From that day onwards passengers will not have to walk through these pre-checking tents anymore. New, less visible safety measures have been implemented by the Federal Police in order to guarantee the high level of safety requested by the central government. These measures include for example automatic recognition of number plates, facial recognition, representation of the Federal Police in the airport’s operations hub in order to guarantee better coperation between all different services,…

“Apart from the already implemented safety measures, there will also be more police officers in the field and the number of cameras is increased. I am pleased to be able to introduce this new, smart safety concept. The safety levels at the airport are increased even more with the introduction of these technological innovations. At the same time, our passengers shall notice it less”, said Minister of the Federal Public Service of the Interior and Safety Jan Jambon.

October 19, 2016