Romanian airline Tarom to resume flights to Beirut on Wednesday

Romania's national airline, Tarom, is set to resume service to Beirut this week, according to sources at three Lebanese travel agencies who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Rafik Hariri International Airport website lists a first flight scheduled to arrive early Wednesday at about 3 a.m. One travel agency said Tarom would initially operate three flights in the first week. Another agency reported that the flight schedule would vary weekly, with three flights in the first week, one in the second week, and two in the third.

Tarom is the third European Union airline to resume flights to the Lebanese capital since the cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel took effect. The agreement ended more than two months of intense fighting and bombardments concentrated in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, and Beirut's southern suburbs, where the airport is located. Despite the violence, the airport’s infrastructure was not affected, and Middle East Airlines (MEA) continued flights during the hostilities.

Since Nov. 27, several airlines, including major carriers such as Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways, have resumed flights to Beirut. Others, like Air France and Emirates, do not plan to resume service until the end of the month, after the 60-day period for implementing the cease-fire arrangements.

Lufthansa, which suspended flights until the end of February, plans to reassess the situation this month, though a resumption of service is not guaranteed, according to a source familiar with the matter. Out of roughly 60 airlines that typically serve Beirut’s airport, only about one-fifth have resumed operations so far.