Reopening Brussels Airport after the 22/03/2016 terror attacks

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luchtzak
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Re: Reopening Brussels Airport after the 22/03/2016 terror attacks

Post by luchtzak »

Beginning on 7 April 2017, Belgians, EU nationals and members of their families leaving the Schengen area or wishing to enter it will be subject to stricter border controls at airports, seaports and railway stations. These changes could lead to longer wait times. The Federal Police intends to inform everyone about this issue in order to allow everyone to go on a journey with complete peace of mind.

https://www.aviation24.be/airports/brussel ... -airports/

webstermc
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Re: Reopening Brussels Airport after the 22/03/2016 terror attacks

Post by webstermc »

luchtzak wrote: 07 Apr 2017, 00:31 Beginning on 7 April 2017, Belgians, EU nationals and members of their families leaving the Schengen area or wishing to enter it will be subject to stricter border controls at airports, seaports and railway stations. These changes could lead to longer wait times. The Federal Police intends to inform everyone about this issue in order to allow everyone to go on a journey with complete peace of mind.

https://www.aviation24.be/airports/brussel ... -airports/
Apparantly, a lot of people expected extra hours of waiting time at security, so they arrived way too early. At six o'clock this caused a waiting time of 30 minutes. As of 7h, waiting times at security were already reduced to 15 minutes already. There were even some people checked early in te morning for a flight at noon.

It is stressed again that you should not be at the airport too early....

Article (dutch only): http://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20170407_02822313

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sn26567
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Re: Reopening Brussels Airport after the 22/03/2016 terror attacks

Post by sn26567 »

Special unveiling today on an easyJet plane: “Spirit of easyJet 2016: team Brussels” recognising the team who managed the events in March 2016. The aircraft is A319 HB-JYJ from easyJet Switzerland and operated flights U2 1533/4 GVA-BRU-GVA.

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André
ex Sabena #26567

convair
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Re: Reopening Brussels Airport after the 22/03/2016 terror attacks

Post by convair »

sn26567 wrote: 11 Apr 2017, 17:22 Special unveiling today on an easyJet plane: “Spirit of easyJet 2016: team Brussels” recognising the team who managed the events in March 2016.

Image
No doubt there is a commercial purpose here, but it's still a nice gesture.

telspace2005
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Re: Reopening Brussels Airport after the 22/03/2016 terror attacks

Post by telspace2005 »

If a passenger can be dropped-off at the free drop-off zone, why cannot he be pick-up there ?

If not, what is the difference between the "FAST ZONE" and the P1 Front Park?

Must tell you that all this is very confusing....

Thank you for any answer...anyway

thalenoi
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Re: Reopening Brussels Airport after the 22/03/2016 terror attacks

Post by thalenoi »

I am realy pissed-of because the 15 minutes free parking is no more.
Seems a long walk to the drop-off/pick-up zone. I wll be arriving this morning with 40kg of bags and st my age I am nog gooing to wander beyond front park 1 to find where it is, nor the person picking me up.
Thus the only solution is for my pick-up to park somewhere in P1 after I got my luggage and call me to tell me where on what floor he/she found a parking spot, get to a machine to pay, and leave the premises. Other option park and wait at arrivals, 30 minutes nog enough probably.

I was vers happy with the no more existing freedrop of/pick up in front of Sheraton.
BRU AirPort stil not user friendly!

Stij
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Re: Reopening Brussels Airport after the 22/03/2016 terror attacks

Post by Stij »

thalenoi wrote: 29 Apr 2017, 00:10 I am realy pissed-of because the 15 minutes free parking is no more.
Seems a long walk to the drop-off/pick-up zone. I wll be arriving this morning with 40kg of bags and st my age I am nog gooing to wander beyond front park 1 to find where it is, nor the person picking me up.
Thus the only solution is for my pick-up to park somewhere in P1 after I got my luggage and call me to tell me where on what floor he/she found a parking spot, get to a machine to pay, and leave the premises. Other option park and wait at arrivals, 30 minutes nog enough probably.

I was vers happy with the no more existing freedrop of/pick up in front of Sheraton.
BRU AirPort stil not user friendly!
I beleive the 15 min rule still works...
Stij

teach
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Re: Reopening Brussels Airport after the 22/03/2016 terror attacks

Post by teach »

Stij wrote: 29 Apr 2017, 09:21 I beleive the 15 min rule still works...
Stij
It doesn't. First 30 minutes is 2 Euros, unless you get a free Pcard+ from Interparking, then the first 30 minutes are free.

Stij
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Re: Reopening Brussels Airport after the 22/03/2016 terror attacks

Post by Stij »

teach wrote: 29 Apr 2017, 10:10 It doesn't. First 30 minutes is 2 Euros, unless you get a free Pcard+ from Interparking, then the first 30 minutes are free.
Mmmm... I beleive a couple of months ago we had a discussion about the new drop off zone being a deterioration of service. This was feircely denied by some as the 15min was still in place... it was to be considered an expansion and improvement of service. Apparently... not... it is a dererioration of service after all...

Personally, I have the p card in the car... so no problem...

Cheers,

Stij

thalenoi
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Re: Reopening Brussels Airport after the 22/03/2016 terror attacks

Post by thalenoi »

Indeed, discovered the Pcard thing whilst posting my comment.
Advised person picking me up to get one, but he needed to pickup someone else this morning (monday 1st May) thus had to pay 2x 2 eur for 2 1 minute pickup.

I saw the drop-off area when leaving the airport, did not see any signs at arrivals how to get there(I guess it is a free zone), did not see any luggage cart around neither (i need one when leaving B end of May) Guess I will use P1 again when leaving.

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RoMax
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Re: Reopening Brussels Airport after the 22/03/2016 terror attacks

Post by RoMax »

There are no signs from arrivals on how to get there as it is a free "drop-off" area, not a pick up area. And there should be plenty of luggage carts available, right after crossing the street (which is really close enough, the only closer location to put them would be right on the (small) drop-off area or in the middle of the street, so that shouldn't be a problem).

Let's be happy we still have free alternatives, especially in the UK more and more airports are charging for the use of the curb (sometimes directly, sometimes after 5 minutes or so, depends on the airport) and also some other EU and non-EU major airports have implemented such measures of having to pay at the curb after 5 or 10 minutes. For arrivals pick-up the majority of the major airports start to force you in the parking, albeit sometimes with a free alternative. BAC has been forced in a position to permanently close the departures curb, so yes chaos is not nice but at least in some way understandable. The parkings are not capable of handling all the drop-off traffic. Most of you have never seen the figures, but parking entries and exits in P1-3 almost doubled last year compared to 2015 after activities at the airport got back to full speed, creating nothing less than complete chaos and at the same time 0 revenue for Interparking. A free alternative had to be arranged fast, but as most of you know there are not many available spots at walking distance from the terminal, while at the same time not being too close either due to security requirements from FedPol (some might have noticed that a big part of the parking previously used by airport transport vans and vip transport etc is still not back in use, for the same reason that it's right next to the terminal, that also created a huge issue as we are talking about hundreds of vehicle movements, these also had to be relocated together with taxis).

Huge redevelopment projects will eventually be carried out in this area, as Atlantis already said here, don't think that BAC is not concerned with this and just letting things like they are, but as everything (especially in Belgium... :p) that takes time.

eagleheart
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Re: Reopening Brussels Airport after the 22/03/2016 terror attacks

Post by eagleheart »

Hello,

What about the terminal where the touroperators and the American flights were located. Will it reopen as a terminal or as something else?

Sai
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Re: Reopening Brussels Airport after the 22/03/2016 terror attacks

Post by Sai »

I was wondering too? It was the most modern (ised) part of the check-in terminal.

I mean this part that opened in 2010 :?:

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RoMax
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Re: Reopening Brussels Airport after the 22/03/2016 terror attacks

Post by RoMax »

Part of that area is made operational during peak times (like last year in summer often for TUI long haul, Air Transat or Turkish Airlines during the Hajj peak).
Contrary to the situation before the attacks, the check-in counters are now assigned in a more dynamic, optimal way (and by BAC itself instead of seasonal block assignments to the ground handlers, who then did their own planning independent from BAC). Check-in demand is also something which doesn't follow a 1-to-1 growth profile compared to (local) pax growth, as the trends for more digital check-in/bag drop only and hand baggage-only travel continue to increase. Therefore those 36 counters in 'Hall 2'/'Old Terminal' are not essential for the big majority of the time, they are only used as a peak buffer for high-demanding flights such as the TUI long haul and Hajj flights etc. as these are very baggage heavy (and with TUI it's even more critical as they have a very rapid check-in process, putting a lot of pressure on the baggage handling system linked to the check-in rows, the system in Hall 2 was specially made for such high-volume baggage throughput). But only rows 12 and 14 are used (and equiped with computers etc) I believe, not 11.

Will it return back to permanent use in the future? Maybe, when demand for check-in exceeds that of Hall 1 and the process there is kept like it is now (a predominantly traditional lay-out and process), additional demand will have to be accomodated somewhere and Hall 2 definitely remains a logical option (but not the only one ;) ).

Sai
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Re: Reopening Brussels Airport after the 22/03/2016 terror attacks

Post by Sai »

Thanks for the explanation!

Passenger
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Re: Reopening Brussels Airport after the 22/03/2016 terror attacks

Post by Passenger »

On 25th Oct 2017, the investigation commission from the Belgian Parliament will present it's report in the Parliament:

"...Verslag van de Parlementaire onderzoekscommissie belast met het onderzoek naar de omstandigheden die hebben geleid tot de terroristische aanslagen van 22 maart 2016 in de luchthaven Brussel-Nationaal en in het metrostation Maalbeek te Brussel, met inbegrip van de evolutie en de aanpak van de strijd tegen het radicalisme en de terroristische dreiging..."

"...Rapport de la Commission d'enquête parlementaire chargée d'examiner les circonstances qui ont conduit aux attentats terroristes du 22 mars 2016 dans l'aéroport de Bruxelles-National et dans la station de métro Maelbeek à Bruxelles, y compris l'évolution et la gestion de la lutte contre le radicalisme et la menace terroriste..."

Passenger
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Re: Reopening Brussels Airport after the 22/03/2016 terror attacks

Post by Passenger »

After the terror attacks 22/03/2016, Brussels Airport Company ("BRU") started with renovation works, aimed to restore the airport and to improve the safety standards. To recover these costs, BRU then rised the safety taxes that airlines (read: passengers) pay.

Ryanair protested against these higher charges with the "Regulator" because they were not consulted and because all airport users should cover the costs, and not only airlines.

On 14th December 2017, the Regulator has decided that it was in the interest of all parties involved, including Ryanair, that no consultation round was done: that would have delayed the reopening of the airport. However, the Regulator agrees with Ryanair that all BRU-users should make a contribution to those safety costs (thus not only airlines and passengers). So the initial charges have to be reviewed.

The final document is only available in Dutch (see last link down below); the main pages are available in EN and FR too. The published decision has been censored by the Regulator for good reasons: some details about safety and security have been deleted. These are the relevant documents:

In English:
http://www.regul.be/en/content/decision ... april-1st-

In French:
http://www.regul.be/fr/content/d%C3%A9c ... e-pour-la-

In Dutch - part 1:
http://www.regul.be/nl/content/beslissi ... leerde-per

In Dutch - part 2 = the decision = pdf:
http://www.regul.be/sites/regul.be/file ... versie.pdf

SkyTourist
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Re: Reopening Brussels Airport after the 22/03/2016 terror attacks

Post by SkyTourist »

Is there any update on the US border control pre-clearance facilities that were going to be introduced at Brussels Airport in 2018?

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