In efforts to recover from suicide bombers that killed 16 travelers, the Brussels Airport terminal has restored to 80 percent capacity, with a goal to restore full service by mid-June.
The partial reopening of the departure halls on May 1 featured 111 traditional check-in counters, with 36 temporary structures.
“This is a very important day for Brussels Airport," Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport Co. said in a news release. "We're again seeing the familiar image of passengers in our departures hall, a big step towards the return to normal activities at the airport which will give a boost to the economy of the entire nation.”
Since the March 22 attacks, some flights resumed as early as April 3 at limited capacity. The Maelbeek subway station, where 16 other people were killed in related bombings, reopened April 25, and by April 28 the airport was handling 18,000 departing passengers a day.
"After the expressions of solidarity in the first days, we now receive messages of admiration and support from other airports and airlines for the quick restart of our airport," said Marc Descheemaecker, chairman of the board of directors of Brussels Airport Company in a news release. "Let's hope that due to this quick restart the negative impact of the attacks on our country will be limited in time, as was the case with similar events in other countries."
