Rafik Hariri International Airport on Sept. 28, 2024. (Credit: Aya Chmaytelli/AFP)
Middle East Airlines continues to operate flights to and from Rafik Hariri International Airport, according to a source within the national airline who spoke to L'Orient-Le Jour on Monday. This comes despite intensified Israeli strikes targeting the southern suburbs of Beirut, where the airport is located, which have escalated since Friday.
Two sources from local travel agencies confirmed that only MEA is still operating flights at the airport, except for those chartered for the evacuation of foreign nationals. "The flights are fully booked. There's hardly anything available before Oct. 10," one source explained.
The other noted that many foreign airlines have suspended operations until at least Oct. 7.
According to a fourth source from a travel agency in Europe, flight MYW9050 from Georgian airline MyWay Airlines, which departed from Beirut to Berlin on Sunday at 4 p.m., was used to evacuate German citizens. All sources contacted requested to remain anonymous.