Bombed Brussels airport departure hall to partly reopen Sunday

The departure hall at Brussels airport, hit in March by a deadly double suicide bombing claimed by ISIS, will partly reopen on Sunday, the management said.

The twin explosions on March 22 killed 16 people and devastated the departure hall, shattering the building’s glass facade, collapsing ceilings and destroying check-in desks.

The airport was completely closed for 12 days after the attacks and has progressively been restarting operations, though it is not expected to return to full capacity until June. “After a reopening ceremony, passengers from three flights on Sunday afternoon will be able to check in in the departure hall,” airport management said in a statement on Saturday.

From Monday, passengers will check in for flights at 111 desks in the departure hall and 36 others in temporary buildings. “The airport capacity is rising to at least 80 percent of the number of passengers before the attacks,” the statement said.

Travellers have been asked to arrive three hours before their flights to allow time for extra police security checks at the entrance to the departure hall.

A total of 32 people were killed and more than 300 wounded in coordinated suicide bombings at the airport and a metro station in central Brussels in Belgium’s worst ever terror attacks.