Korina Huizar, a passenger on the flight from Atlanta to Brussels that landed amid explosions at the Brussels airport, called the experience “a big mix of emotions.”
Passengers were waiting on the plane after arriving for about an hour and half, and during that harrowing time they learned the explosions were a terrorist attack, then learned of the second attack struck a subway station in Brussels.
“That was scary for us, because we were still on the plane and not at a secure point yet,” said Huizar, a 28-year-old from Sacramento, Calif. “You just wonder, ‘What’s going on? Is it safe?’ You start thinking of everything.”
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
Credit: Kelly Yamanouchi
On the plane were a mix of passengers, including children and elderly travelers, she said.
“Some people were crying,” said Huizar, a professional cyclist originally from California who connected in Atlanta while returning from a race back to her home in Belgium.
“Everybody was on their phones trying to get into contact with their loved ones and trying to figure out what was going on,” Huizar said. “You just want to call people and tell them that you love them.”
For more on Huizar's experience at the Brussels airport and perspectives from passengers and others at Hartsfield-Jackson's international terminal, read the full story on myajc.com.
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