Brussels Airport reopens after terrorist attacks

Brussels Airport reopened to a thin stream of passengers amid tight security controls, 12 days after an attack by suicide bombers in the departure hall killed 16 people.

Belgium’s main airport says it aims to return to maximum capacity before the start of summer holidays at the end of June or early July.

The airport had not handled passenger flights since two suspected Islamist militants carried out the suicide attacks. Those bombs and a separate one on a metro train in the capital killed 32 people, excluding the three bombers.

On Sunday, the airport handled just three flights, the first bound for Faro in Portugal with only about 80 passengers.

Airport workers gathered at Zaventem to watch the first flight take off before the aircraft taxied towards the runway flanked by an honour guard of staff and, after a minute's silence, took off.

Flights were also scheduled to Turin and Athens later in the day, with three return flights set for the evening.

The first passengers for nearly two weeks fed into a vast temporary marquee housing security controls and check-in facilities. Passengers were also screened on an approach road and again before check in.

Arnaud Feist, the airport's chief executive, described Sunday's reopening as a sign of hope and an emotional moment for all airport staff.

“These flights are the first hopeful sign from an airport that is standing up straight after a cowardly attack.”

Brussels Airlines has estimated the closure of its hub has been costing it €5m a day.

The stringent new security checks were put in place after police threatened to go on strike if measures were not improved.

Passengers were asked to arrive three hours before their flight departure time. They are only able to get to the airport by car or taxi - the terminal is still closed to trains and buses.

Special cameras will be set up to read number plates, there will be random checks of vehicles and the drop-off zone will not be accessible.

Passengers and their baggage will be checked on arrival and there will be increased patrols of armed police and military.

The airport, which provides work for some 20,000 people, is among the busiest in Europe, handling 23.5 million passengers per year. It links the Belgian capital, headquarters city of the European Union and NATO, with 226 destinations worldwide, through 77 airlines.

With its temporary check-in zone, it will only be able to handle some 800 departing passengers or about five to six flights per hour, around 20% of previous capacity.