The weather situation is gradually returning to normal, but some travellers whose flights were cancelled or delayed will have to spend an extra night at Zaventem Airport in Brussels, airport spokesperson Florence Muls said on Tuesday afternoon. “We’re catering for 600 available places, but we do not know how many travellers will in fact remain in the terminal,” she said. “We’re also organizing a hot meal for them this evening.”
More than 250 flights were delayed and 60 cancelled on Tuesday afternoon as a result of hundreds of cancellations caused by winter weather conditions. “The de-snowing of planes, which causes delays, also needs to be factored in,” Ms. Muls said. “There are still quite a few queues, but we cannot do anything about that.”
Ms. Muls said she did not know exactly how many passengers would, in fact, remain overnight at the airport. "Many passengers have seen their flights rescheduled so we hope there won’t be too many people concerned,” she said.
The airlines are also proposing solutions to their customers. Beds positioned in the airport are “for people who do not have other options,” she said. However, “some travellers prefer to stay in the terminal close to their planes “.
A shelter had been created on Monday to take in an additional 500 persons, but it will not be necessary to open it on Tuesday evening.
The airport is advising travellers to check the status of their flights on the Air Brussels site and/or to contact their airline before they make any move. If their flights are cancelled, passengers are urged to contact their airlines before going to the airport.
The Brussels Times
