Brussels Airport inaugurated an Animal Care & Inspection Center last week, located in BRU’s cargo area. Total investment cost was just under 5 million euros, financed by Brussels Airport Company. Operator is dnata, following a tender call won by the ground handler. Further to this, BRU announces the fast recovery of passenger services in the Schengen area.
The airport speaks respectfully of “special passengers,” i.e. pets, police dogs, reptiles, bumble bees, birds, horses et alia. It goes without saying that ‘special passengers’ need the utmost
care and preferential treatment. This is provided by the Animal Care & Inspection Center, the airport assures, quoting its guiding motto: “Only the best is good enough for the animals.”
Introduced last week, the 2,000m2 facility offers 10 equine stables and ten flex stays for different species. The air circulation and temperature can be precisely adjusted in each area of the
building and the lighting is adjustable depending on the kind of animals being sheltered there. Indeed, tailored services are the precondition for ensuring the wellbeing of animals waiting at
Brussels Airport for a connecting flight to take them to their final destination or being quarantined if legally required.
Brussels Airport stresses that there is daylight in each animal accommodation “in order not to disturb the biological clock of animals passing through.”
No entry admission without health control
On the occasion of the opening ceremony, Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport lauded that the animal center sets a new standard on a European level in the area of welfare and provides the best
possible workplace for the personnel. “With this, we ensure that the animals among our passengers are also housed in the very best conditions. A service we are pleased to offer to our customers,”
stated the executive.
Included in the building is a new border inspection center run by Belgium’s Federal Agency for Food Safety. The official’s job is to check any live animal being imported according to the highest
European standards in order to guarantee public health. The employees of the Agency are accommodated on the first floor of the new building, enabling them to perform their tasks right on the
spot.
A Border Inspection Post for live animals is essential for the operation of an international airport.
Sharp increase of passenger flights
In a separate announcement, Brussels Airport reports the restoring of air connectivity within Europe beginning in mid-June. The decision is based on an allowance proclaimed by Belgium’s National
Security Council permitting nonessential travel within the EU Schengen area and to the UK. For the airport this means that passenger flights can resume on 15JUN20, increasing step by step in the
weeks after. The airport operator expects that by the end of June, 20 airlines will operate flights to approximately 60 destinations. In July, their number is forecast to double, serving more
than 100 sectors.
In stage 2, flights to intercontinental destinations in North America, Africa and the Middle East will be resumed, provided, the current travel restrictions will be revoked.
To prevent infections, thermal cameras will be used to check the body temperature of both departing and arriving passengers. This measure, together with social distancing, hand hygiene and the
wearing of face masks, will make air travel safe, states the airport, indicating that this goes hand in hand with the cleaning and sanitizing measures within the terminal building.
Heiner Siegmund
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