Plan to ease summer overcrowding at Brussels Airport

Belgium's interior minister has announced a "summer plan" to reduce waiting times at passport controls at Brussels Airport.

As part of the plan, extra staff will be provided at passport control at peak periods. On so-called "orange" days, capacity will increase by 30% and on the busiest "red" days, it will go up by 40%.

In the short term, reinforcements will be taken from other sections of the airport. In time, however, targeted recruitment and training should result in more staff, said interior minister Bernard Quintin.

“We’re working on a structural solution, because it is no secret that airport police, as well as other police services, are facing staff shortages,” said Quintin. “For the airport police, we’re talking about a shortage of 23%.”

According to Wald Thielemans, director-general of the administrative police, reinforcements have been “spread out as much as possible”, and the impact on the original sites “will not be too great”.

In the coming weeks, an additional sixth cubicle will be installed for airport police officers and all six booths will be manned on the busiest days.

Brussels Airport chief executive Arnaud Feist welcomed the new measures. "We, and certainly also our passengers, appreciate this," he said.

"Brussels Airport is a strategic hub, and border control is an essential part of our operations. The police are a crucial link in this. A smooth process is important for safety, but also for Belgium’s image."

In summer peak periods, up to 90,000 passengers pass through the airport each day, representing more than five million people in July and August.