Over 10,000 passengers were recorded in Brussels Airport on Wednesday, for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic first hit Belgium.
On the first day of the summer holidays, 11,140 travellers arrived or departed from the airport, a spokesperson told the Belga news agency
Wednesday's uptick in passenger traffic comes as the airport emerges from a slump brought on by the coronavirus lockdown.
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As the pandemic picked up steam in March, about 40% of flights were cancelled at the airport, dealing a blow to a positive growth trend which saw traffic swell constantly for the past three years.
Airport officials say that passenger traffic will keep growing rapidly after this initial spike, which comes after Belgium lifted border restrictions EU and Schengen area passengers on 15 June.
"On Friday, we expect to have more than 15,000 passengers and, by the second half of July, to break past the 20,000-passenger mark," the spokesperson said.
In a move to further boost business after the lockdown slump, the airport is also preparing to launch some 40 new destinations and increase the number of flights per day to 250 by the start of August, up from the current 140, which coincides with a decision by the EU lift border restrictions to just over a dozen non-EU countries.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
