Brussels airport to run tests Tuesday, no date for re-opening

[BRUSSELS] Brussels Airport said it will run tests on Tuesday to see if repair work after two suicide bomb attacks wrecked the departure hall was satisfactory, but it could not give a firm date for resuming services.

"The construction and fire safety inspection of the temporary constructions will take place this coming Tuesday," the airport operator said in a statement late Sunday.

"To try out the passenger flows, the airport is organising a major test on Tuesday, whereby 800 airport staff will test the temporary arrangement and infrastructure for the check-in procedure," it said.

On Saturday, Brussels Airport said it did not expect to be able to resume operations before Tuesday and then only with partial passenger services.

"In the past few days, Brussels Airport has made an extensive analysis of the terminal infrastructure and of the various possible scenarios for a partial recommencement of its activities," it said in Sunday's statement.

"When this partial restart will take place is not yet decided," it added, warning that this was unlikely to happen in the short-term.

Two suicide bombers blew themselves up in the departure hall on Tuesday, wrecking the concourse, and shortly afterwards another bomber hit the Brussels metro, leaving 31 dead in Belgium's worst-ever terror attack.

Following the attacks, airlines moved operations to regional airports or even to neighbouring countries such as the Netherlands and Germany.

Brussels is a major European hub and has flights to destinations worldwide.

AFP