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Brussels Airport fully operational after bomb attack damage

Xinhua, June 3, 2016 Adjust font size:

Brussels Airport returned to full operational capacity on Thursday, 70 days after the suicide bomb attacks in the departure hall, Belgian public broadcaster RTBF reported.

The airport has been operating at reduced capacity since the March 22 attacks in Brussels which left 32 people dead.

Brussels Airport said passenger numbers were back to normal on Thursday. The transport hub averages 60,000 to 70,000 passengers a day, with about 600 flights.

Passengers and their baggage are still being screened before entering the airport, at temporary marquees outside.

Brussels Airport estimates that passenger numbers are down by 1.5 million since the March terror attacks. Airport use was down by 29.1 percent in March and 46.5 percent in April.

The March 22 bombings destroyed a part of the airport's departures hall. When the airport reopened on April 3, long queues formed as passengers had to use the temporary check-in facilities.

Brussels Airport head of communication Nathalie Van Impe said: "Passengers can once again use the departures hall. They can now get from check-in to their boarding time in an hour." When the airport first reopened, passengers were advised to arrive three hours before their flight. Endit