Police on airport guard as Sabena faces bankruptcy

Extra police were sent to Brussels international airport today to contain any protests in case state airline Sabena files for bankruptcy this week.

Sabena’s board of could decide tomorrow to file for bankruptcy after acknowledging that no investor wants to take over its airline activities.

Newspaper Le Soir said that Sabena, as is preparing for bankruptcy, is progressively repatriating its aircraft so they won’t be seized in foreign countries.

The newspaper speculated that after bankruptcy is filed, management and the government, which owns 50.5% of Sabena, hope airline activities can restart the next day.

They would like to transfer part of Sabena’s assets to Delta Air Transport, one of Sabena’s subsidiaries.

Le Soir said that if no investor comes forward over the next few days, Sabena management could ask the bankruptcy administrator to allow the airline’s activities to go on as they pursue negotiations.

The failure of negotiations could lead to the liquidation of Sabena’s assets and the loss of about 10,000 jobs, Le Soir reported.

Trade unions protested at the deployment of some 150 extra police at the airport today.

‘‘It is a scandal. For weeks, we have been asking for social measures and instead we get police,’’ said union spokesman Denis De Meulemeester.