Paris airport accident terminal re-opens

Nearly three months after the fatal collapse of its futuristic roof, a Paris airport terminal reopened to commercial traffic today.

Six flights were to operate daily through terminal 2E at Charles de Gaulle Airport, where part of the tube-shaped departure hall fell in on May 23, killing four people.

The partial reopening, which follows safety inspections, is to provide service for only about 1,000 passengers each day – far fewer than the 25,000 that the terminal could handle before the collapse.

“There’s clearly emotion after the accident on May 23, but especially satisfaction,” said Francois Goulard, Secretary of State for Transport. “The part of 2E that reopened is running well.”

Two investigations are continuing into the collapse of the departure hall, less than a year after the new structure opened. Falling glass, steel and masonry killed four airline passengers, two Chinese, one Czech and one Lebanese, and injured three others.

A preliminary report released last month suggested that poor quality concrete could have been partly to blame.