The wing of an MEA aircraft in flight, taken from the cabin. (Credit: Philippe Hage Boutros)
The cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel took effect, giving the country time to wake up from the two months of horror that had passed. However, a couple of hours later, many travelers, mostly from the diaspora, had already contacted their travel agencies to book their flights to Lebanon during the festive season, or to inquire about foreign airlines that had suspended their flights because of the war.
“Several flights have already been fully booked on Middle East Airlines (MEA) during this period. The number of flights might increase as of Dec. 11,” said Jean Abboud, President of the Association of Travel & Tourist Agents in Lebanon (ATTAL). Abboud believed that "we would have to wait at least until the coming week” to find out the actions that other airlines would take.
“Many customers are inquiring or booking, but we're far from what we'd call a rebound, given that the offer is currently limited to what the MEA can provide,” pointed out Raymond Wehbe, the president of the Beirut-based agency We Reach The World. All airlines have suspended their flights to and from Beirut since late September. MEA, which has never suspended its flights since then, operates 12 aircraft and can mobilize a maximum of 20. Beirut’s international airport is the country's only facility that meets commercial flight standards.
“There won't be any concrete news in this regard until at least Monday. We can't expect all carriers that used to operate in Lebanon before the war to return straight away,” he said. Nonetheless, he was delighted by the cease-fire. According to him, only some of the 60 airlines that used to operate in Lebanon prewar were expected to resume flights by mid-December.
Aircrew caution
“These airlines either have not suspended flights for a long period, are based in the region, or were initially planning to reassess the situation in the short to medium term. Others made permanent decisions to their fleet reorganization, so they can't turn everything upside down overnight,” he added. Qatar Airways, Emirates, Egypt Air, Pegasus Airlines and Cyprus Airways could be among those airlines, which should not be more than “seven or eight.” Once they decide to resume their flights, the latter will need a couple of days to become available. It will be more complicated for the Lufthansa Group, which has been cautious since the start of the war in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023. Speaking to Reuters at noon today, a spokesperson for Air France announced that the airline’s flights to Beirut would remain suspended until Jan. 5.
According to a source from a European travel agency familiar with the Lebanese market, two factors are particularly significant in this equation. “First, insurance costs. Second, the prevailing caution of pilots and flight crews, who aren’t eager to operate again in Beirut’s international airport, given the war images they've seen,” he explained. In fact, while some strikes have landed near the airport area, located in Beirut’s southern suburbs, none have directly targeted it, and no flight operated by MEA since late September has been threatened by Israel or Hezbollah. According to the information we received during the two months of war, the airport benefited from pressure exerted by foreign countries to prevent any incidents in the area.
Wehbe also pointed out that since the start of the war, travel agencies have seen their business shrink by 70 to 80 percent over the last two months, and by around 20 percent over the whole year. Lately, the agencies have been heavily relying on company bookings and cancellations. “This category of customers makes package reservations in advance, even if it means canceling them at the last minute. However, the sector now needs a real recovery, driven by tourism. Therefore, it is still far too early to rejoice," he concluded.
In the first 10 months of 2024, the number of passengers passing by Beirut’s international airport — arrivals, departures and transit — dropped by almost 20 percent, reaching 5.1 million passengers, according to official figures. The number of bookings at the start of the summer tourist season, mainly by the diaspora, had been encouraging, despite the precarious security situation linked to the war in Gaza and the intermittent clashes between Hezbollah and Israel.
This article was translated from L'Orient-Le Jour.
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