Brussels Airport will make face masks available to passengers and staff when operations restart on May 18.
The announcement came as Belgium’s federal minister of transport, François Bellot, confirmed that the airport is a public place where wearing face masks is strongly recommended, but not mandatory.
Brussels Airport says it has taken necessary steps to make sure physical distancing is respected, cleaning has been increased and the few passengers using the airport remain safe.
Since March, 200 hand sanitizer stations have been placed in the terminal. The airport says that sanitary rules come from the federal authorities, and it has been in regular contact with the Federal Public Health Service.
Passenger numbers in April fell from 2.3 million in 2019 to 17,000 this year, a fall of 99.3%. That month, about 100 passenger flights operated per week, offering connections for repatriation and essential travel. Brussels Airlines and Air Belgium operated 14 repatriation flights from destinations including the Algerian capital of Algiers, Alicante in Spain, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Lubumbashi, Lima in Peru and Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Flights recorded average occupancy rates of 38 passengers per flight.