Cargo flights resume at Brussels Airport

While Brussels Airport remains closed to passenger travel in the aftermath of Tuesday’s deadly terrorist attack, cargo-only flights are now permitted to operate on a limited basis at the Belgian airport.

   While Brussels Airport remains closed to passenger travel in the aftermath of Tuesday’s deadly terrorist attack, cargo-only flights are now permitted to operate on a limited basis at the Belgian airport, according to various news reports.
   The Brucargo area is open and operational, but all other airport access roads and entrances currently remain closed.
   “We have confirmation that the first cargo flights with a number of our airline partners will already operate this evening and into tomorrow. We expect that full capacity will only be reached after the coming holiday weekend and await further information,” Kuehne + Nagel’s Belgian office said in a statement today.
   The Switzerland-based company is one of the largest freight forwarders with operations close to the airport.
   “Our ground handling partners for the cargo-only flights are also operational, however only freight that is booked on a planned flight will be accepted,” K + N added. “Our cargo team is managing the situation and are fully contactable via the normal communication channels.”
   The third-party logistics provider also pointed out, “Collections and deliveries in the Brussels area are now being conducted and although security continues at a high level the operations are running effectively.”
   Other forwarders and air cargo carriers have expressed similar optimism regarding maintaining cargo services at the airport, although as Lloyd’s Loading List and Air Cargo World reported, they expect some service disruptions and delays in the days ahead as Belgian authorities continue to investigate the terrorist attack.
   On March 26, Ethiopian Airlines Cargo is expected to start operating 12 cargo flights a week out of Brussels Airport. In recent weeks, the airport had held talks with the carrier about returning to Brussels Airport after the Belgian government signed a new bilateral agreement with Ethiopia, allowing the carrier to undertake direct flights from Belgium to Dubai, Shanghai and Hong Kong. It’s remains unclear if start of those flights will be delayed.