Brussels Airport on Sunday reopened to some passenger
flights, one day after Delta Air Lines announced the suspension of its service
between Atlanta and Brussels until March 2017.
Delta cited "the continued uncertainty surrounding the
reopening of Brussels airport and weakening demand" for its decision to
suspend the route. The carrier also operates service between Brussels and New
York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, which it said would resume "once
the airport provides clearance for international operations."
Three "symbolic" flights operated by Brussels
Airlines on Sunday departed Brussels Airport, the first since two bombs on March
22 killed 17 people around its check-in area. Flights "in the following
days" will be increased until the airport reaches the maximum capacity of
its temporary structures and facilities, which is 800 passengers per hour,
according to the airport.
"I am very well aware that not every airline can or
wants to return to Brussels Airport," airport CEO Arnaud Feist said in a
statement.
The airport currently is accessible only by car or taxi, and
officials "in the coming days … will examine the possibility of restarting
other means of transport, such as bus and train."