Deadly blasts at Brussels airport; flights to and from Qatar affected

Video still/Roeland Roovers

Outside Brussels Airport

All flights to Brussels Airport in Belgium have been canceled following twin blasts this morning that have left several people dead and injured.

A spokesperson for Qatar’s national carrier told Doha News that “all Qatar Airways staff, customers and aircraft are reported safe.”

The airline flies to Belgium daily, but today passengers from Doha would have arrived shortly before the explosions.

And some passengers heading from Brussels to Doha could have been in the departures terminal – thought to be where one of the explosions happened – for check-in about the time it happened.

Chantelle D'mello

Photo for illustrative purposes only.

The return journey to Doha today will be delayed, the spokesperson confirmed, adding, “we expect no other operational disruption.”

However, it is likely that there will be a knock-on effect for all flights in terms of delays in that area, due to the Brussels airport closing.

What happened

According to news reports, there were two explosions at the airport, whose cause remains unclear.

Many people were seen fleeing the airport following the blasts:

One of the explosions is thought to have taken place at the American Airlines counter in departures, and another on the runway.

According to Reuters, Belgium has been on high alert for a possible “revenge attack” after arresting a suspect in another attack over the weekend.

“Salah Abdeslam, the prime surviving suspect for November’s Paris attacks on a stadium, cafes and a concert hall, was captured by Belgian police after a shootout on Friday.

Thoughts?

(The post Deadly blasts at Brussels airport; flights to and from Qatar affected is from Doha News.)