EU Commissioner calls for Brussels Airport border queues to be cleared before Christmas

European Commissioner Magnus Brunner urged that the long passport‑control queues at Brussels Airport be resolved before Christmas after waits of up to five hours were reported in late September.

Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin’s office said all 12 arrivals control positions were staffed, but the airport’s infrastructure can handle only 500–600 passengers per hour from outside Schengen, while almost 3,500 passengers may arrive between 06:00 and 10:00 on busy days; the airport is testing automated gates, pre‑registration kiosks, training additional border officers and assessing infrastructure needs.