Brussels Airport terminal was evacuated at around 23:00 on Saturday night due to a bomb scare. However, authorities gave the all clear shortly before 02:00.
The departure hall and baggage area were cleared for thorough inspection at around 23:00 on Monday night after Federal Police were alerted to suspicious activity, believed to be a bomb threat.
"A suspicious report has come in, so the necessary measures have been taken," spokesperson Ihsane Chioua Lehkli told Het Laatste Nieuws. "Certain areas have been cleared and those are being monitored, so passengers will have to wait for a while. What I understand is that it concerns the departure hall and baggage claim."
The baggage hall was the first area of the terminal to reopen at around 01:30, but some passengers endured a lengthy wait of around 2.5 hours.
⚠️ Bomb threat at @BrusselsAirport We can’t access the baggage claim #brussels #bruxelles #brusselsairport #bomb pic.twitter.com/aw8EX7UHgq
— António Buscardini (@ABuscardini) August 24, 2024
Many travellers and aircrews were asked to wait within the terminal, barred from access to the baggage hall. Some were not allowed to disembark from their aircraft, to prevent overcrowding at immigration.
By 02:00, authorities gave the all clear, and passengers were able to enter the baggage hall again. However, according to social media posts, it seems there were substantial waiting times for several hours afterwards.
@HLN_BE incident op brussels airport. We zijn allemaal reeds meer dan een half uur in quarantaine geplaats achter de electronische poortjes richting bagageclaim. Er is sprake van explosieven. Tal van agenten met automatische wapens aanwezig. Veel onduidelijkheid. #brusselsairport… pic.twitter.com/XQKQdKeLBb
— Clore'ist (@imohtronz) August 24, 2024
Translation: Incident at Brussels Airport. We have all been quarantined behind the electronic gates towards baggage claim for more than half an hour already. There is talk of explosives. Numerous officers with automatic weapons present. Much confusion. #brusselsairport #lockdown also cabin crews are trapped.
