One week after the tragedy, Brussels Airport
began to test its operations in hopes of resuming flights. Tests included running a makeshift check-in area, inspecting security and fire procedures and handling suitcases, according to Reuters. About
800 airport staff members took part in the drill, The Guardian reported.
If security requirements are met, the airport should be able to offer limited services starting Wednesday afternoon, but will only be able to accommodate
800 people an hour — as opposed to 5,000 people an hour before the attacks, a spokesperson for Brussels Airport Company told Belgian daily newspaper Le Soir.
“Although the structure of the building is intact,
it will all have to be rebuilt, from the air conditioning to the check-in desks. And that will take months,” said Brussels Airport Company CEO Arnaud Feist, according to the BBC.
“The
priority is safety,” Feist told Le Soir.