Flights from North East to Brussels cancelled after explosions

A flight from Newcastle International to Belgium which was due to land at 7.45am at Brussels was diverted to Liege in French-speaking Belgium after explosions at the airport.

A spokesman from BMI Regional, which operates direct services between Newcastle and Brussels, says all flights to and from the Belgian capital have been cancelled until at least 6am on Wednesday, pending further notice. The situation will be re-assessed after that.

She added: “bmi regional flights to and from Brussels have been cancelled pending further notice as Brussels Airport is currently closed for all arrivals and departures.

“In the case of the flight from Newcastle to Brussels on Tuesday morning, that was diverted en route to Liege where it has landed safely and passengers have disembarked.

“All travellers due to travel with bmi regional to or from Brussels within the next 28 days will be able to change their booking without charge. We will continue to monitor the situation and update our customers as more information becomes available.”

Flight BMR1101, which departed from Newcastle Airport at 6.30am was minutes away from landing at Liege on Tuesday morning when two explosions hit at around 7.30am.

A spokesman for Newcastle International Airport said: "Newcastle International Airport is aware of the situation in Brussels and our thoughts are with all those affected.

"The airport remains open and is operating as normal. We are liaising with the appropriate authorities to ensure the safety and security of our passengers which is always our main priority.

"We will provide further information about later flights in due course."

News channels in Belgium are reporting at least 31 deaths in a series of attacks on Brussels airport and the city's metro system.

More than 23 million passengers passed through Brussels airport last year, making it the 21st busiest in Europe.