Brussels Airport To Reopen After Security Row

Brussels Airport could finally reopen on Sunday after police and the Belgian government resolved a dispute over security.

The hub at Zaventem has been closed since the terror attacks on 22 March.

Two bombs in the departures hall, and another at a Metro station, killed 35 people and wounded scores of others. 

Police unions had been demanding tighter screening of passengers and baggage – threatening to strike if their demands were not met.

The airport authorities had said they were ready to restart flights on Friday, after a temporary check-in zone was put up. 

But the federal police, whose officers work at the airport, insisted that passengers were checked outside the new departure area.

Airport managers said that would lead to longer waits, and simply move any security threat from inside to outside. 

But following the talks, unions said their key demands had been met.

We have reached agreement with the prime minister and the interior minister," said Jan Adam, from the ACV Politie union.

There have been economic concerns too. 

The country’s largest carrier, Brussels Airlines, estimates the airport’s closure is costing it five million euros a day.

The capital’s hotel operators say that overnight stays dropped by more than half in the days immediately following the terror attacks.

"The outlook is bad but it depends on the complete reopening of the airport," a spokesman for the Brussels Hotel Association said.

When the Brussels hub – one of the largest airports in Europe – does reopen, it is expected to run at just 20% capacity, with around 800 passengers departing each hour.