Brussels airport reopens after 3 months closure due to pandemic

Leisure travel is underway again at Brussels Airport for the first time since the pandemic lockdown. Travellers entering the airport are scanned for body temperatures and people can be denied access to their flights if their temperature is above 38 degrees.

Arriving travellers will also have their temperature checked. In an effort to maintain good hygiene, the airport is using a UV light robot to disinfect surfaces while hand washing stations are spread throughout. Arnaud Feist, Brussels Airport CEO said, "We invested a lot in additional security measures to make sure that you know hygiene on the highest level here at the airport. It starts with control of temperature of passengers at the entrance of the building, then the mouth masks are mandatory everywhere at the airport. We have also, you know a lot of gels available for the passengers so they can wash their hands."

Sixty flights with roughly 4,000 people are expected to travel on the first day of open business at Brussels Airport. European borders began to reopen Monday, so Lara Tambacopoulou and her two sons seized the opportunity to fly home to Athens, Greece. "It's really the first day we can go," Tambacopoulou said. By the end of 2020, Brussels Airport CEO Arnaud Feist expects that travel will be up to 50% of the 2019 travel level. Feist says it make take two to three years for air travel to return to previous numbers.

(Image credit: Representative)