Lufthansa suspends night flights between Beirut and Frankfurt until end of July

Lufthansa announced the suspension of its night flights between Beirut and Frankfurt until July 31, according to a spokesperson for the German airline cited by Reuters. A tour operator based in Germany and a source at Beirut airport, both requesting anonymity, confirmed the decision had been communicated to all relevant parties.

Two other airlines within the Lufthansa Group, Swiss and Eurowings, will also adjust their flight schedules, according to a statement published on their website and relayed to American citizens in Lebanon by the U.S. embassy on X.

"The Embassy encourages U.S. citizens traveling to or from Lebanon to monitor their flight status closely, be aware that itineraries could change with little or no warning, and make alternate plans," the statement read. 

The decision is attributed to "current developments," the airline spokesperson added, alluding to heightened tensions between Hezbollah and Israel, which have exchanged near-daily fire since Oct. 8 and escalated mutual threats in recent weeks.

Frankfurt-Beirut day flights maintained

"Daytime flights to and from Beirut will remain unaffected," the spokesperson added. Lufthansa operates daily flights between Beirut international airport and Frankfurt Airport. The source at the airport speculated that Lufthansa may be leveraging the security situation to justify a decision primarily driven by "economic factors," noting the airline "has not suspended its service but has simply reduced flight frequencies."

Lufthansa, Swiss, and Eurowings had temporarily halted flights to Beirut and Tel Aviv following events of Oct. 7, 2023, in Gaza, which spilled over into southern Lebanon the following day. They resumed operations in early May at reduced frequencies compared to pre-war levels.

No other airlines have followed suit thus far. In June, Spanish low-cost carrier Vueling Airlines canceled all Barcelona-Beirut flights until early November, citing "current security events in Israel," affecting flights to and from Israel and "over its neighboring airspace."

In response to recent security incidents in the region, several countries—including Germany, Canada, Kuwait, and North Macedonia—have advised their nationals to depart Lebanon.

Which countries urged their citizens to avoid or leave Lebanon?

Which countries urged their citizens to avoid or leave Lebanon?

Additionally, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut reminded its citizens to "strongly reconsider travel to Lebanon" without explicitly urging them to leave —  adding, "The security environment remains complex and can change quickly."