Brussels airport to remain closed till March 29

Brussels international airport will not reopen before March 29, authorities said on Saturday, following terror attacks in the Belgian capital that killed 31 people.

According to a statement issued by the airport authorities, the Zaventem airport is now "studying a temporary solution to partially resume passenger flights, and considering new security measures at Belgian airports, decided by the federal government."

Zaventem airport was the first target on Tuesday, with two suicide bomb explosions in the departures hall killing 11 people. An hour later, 20 people died in the suicide bombing of a metro station, BBC reported.

A team of airport engineers and technicians is being given access to the terminal building for the first time since the attack.

They will assess the damage and stability of the building. The airport authorities will also install new security measures.

The airport check-in area suffered severe damage when two blasts seconds apart hit opposite ends of the departures hall.

Police in Belgium on Saturday continued operations to search for members of the terror cell, in particular the missing man from the airport image and a man suspected of aiding the metro attack.

The two suicide bombers were identified by DNA as Najim Laachraoui and Brahim el-Bakraoui. They were pictured in an airport CCTV image.

Twelve people were arrested on Thursday and Friday in Belgium, France and Germany. - IANS