Brussels Airport Zaventem was partly evacuated and partly put on lockdown on Saturday night after a “suspicious report” put security and police on alert for a bomb threat.
The commotion started around 11:00 pm. The departures hall was evacuated, while, on the other hand, the arrivals hall was put on lockdown and passengers who were still on planes were not allowed to deboard before the terminal was cleared.
Passengers on an inbound flight were not allowed to deboard the plane for more than an hour, awaiting the all clear from police, while travellers and cabin crew who were already in the terminal were not allowed to go to baggage claim for up to 2.5 hours.
“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”, one passenger wrote on X.
“Speaking of a lockdown is a bit strong, but it is true that a suspicious report has been received, so the necessary measures have been taken”, airport spokesperson Ihsane Chioua Lehkli told Het Laatste Nieuws. “Certain areas have been cleared and are being checked, so passengers will have to wait a while. What I understand is that this concerns the departure hall and the area where people receive their luggage.”
The baggage claim hall was the first one to be cleared, according to reports, with police finishing their sweep around 1:30 am and passengers being allowed in around 2:00 am. However, with the backlog of flights, travellers then faced long queues at the belts before being able to finally leave the airport and head home.
“Following a suspicious report, we are fully investigating the situation. We are still busy with all the verifications”, a Federal Police spokesperson said after the incident.
The memory of the 2016 terrorist attacks is still fresh in Brussels. On 22 March, two coordinated suicide bomber attacks took place, one at the airport and another at the Malbeek metro station, in the middle of the European Quarter, where the EU institutions are located. The bombings took the life of 32 people and left over 300 injured.
