This combination of images, created on Aug. 3, 2024, shows a Transavia Boeing 737-800 parked on the tarmac at Paris Orly Airport on June 26, 2020, and Air France planes parked during an Air France pilots' strike on the tarmac at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Roissy on Sept. 24, 2014. (Credit: Eric Piermont, Stephane De Sakutin/AFP)
Air France and its subsidiary Transavia plan to resume their flights to Beirut on Thursday, which have been suspended since July 29 due to the geopolitical situation in Lebanon, a spokesperson for both airlines told AFP.
Contacted by L'Orient Today, an Air France representative in Beirut confirmed that a flight departing from Paris to the Lebanese capital is scheduled for Thursday at 9 a.m. A spokesperson for Transavia added that flights will indeed resume on Thursday, but "cancellations may occur at any moment due to the ongoing conflict."
"For now, it seems that they are operational, but last-minute cancellations are always possible," he added.
'Daily assessment of the situation'
"At this stage, and depending on the evolution of the security situation at the destination, the company plans to resume its flights between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Beirut, suspended since July 29, 2024, starting from Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024," Air France said in a statement on Wednesday.
"This decision also applies to Transavia France," a spokesperson told AFP. "The continuation of operations will remain subject to a daily assessment of the situation on-site," Air France emphasized, reminding that the safety of its customers and crews is "its top priority."
The commercial flexibility measures in place "remain valid, allowing customers with a reservation for flights to/from Beirut scheduled before Aug. 25, 2024, inclusive, to postpone or cancel their trip without fees," adds Air France.
Several other airlines have suspended their flights to the Lebanese capital amid fears of a military escalation between Israel and Hezbollah. Air France continues to operate flights between France and Tel Aviv, while other international groups, such as the Italian ITA, have suspended their flights to Tel Aviv at least until Aug. 15.