Brussels Airport grapples with how to reopen after attacks

Last week’s bombings have put the operators of Brussels Airport in a difficult position: how to quickly reopen a vital but severely damaged piece of transport infrastructure while respecting the scene of such trauma. The twin explosions blew out the building’s glass front and air ducts, partially collapsed ceilings and ripped apart check-in desks, computers and other equipment central to an airport that last year handled more than 23m passengers. The arrivals hall underneath was also damaged. A third bomb, containing even more explosives than the first two, detonated in the emptied building hours later, causing further destruction. To get the airport back to its full capacity of around 600 daily flights will require a full renovation of the departure hall and could take months, a spokeswoman said. “We won’t commit ourselves to a date”. <br/>