Passengers at Beirut International Airport. (Credit: AFP)
BEIRUT — Civil Aviation Director General Fadi al-Hassan told L’Orient Today on Thursday that “no flights will be suspended,” at Beirut International Airport after several media outlets in Lebanon reported the cancellation of night flights due to an alleged air traffic controllers strike.
“Our airport will stay operational 24/7, and there is no official adoption from the ATC about the statement that was disseminated,” al-Hassan confirmed to L’Orient Today.
Some local media outlets reported a statement by air traffic controllers announcing an alleged strike.
Lebanese air traffic controllers have repeatedly held strikes in the past two years due to worsening working conditions at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport, while the country continues to suffer the effects of the unprecedented economic crisis that has been in force since 2019.
In several statements, the airport announced the decline in the number of air traffic controllers, which has been attributed to retirement, emigration, or resignations stemming from difficult working conditions.