The departure hall at Beirut's international airport. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L’Orient-Le Jour)
Will the summer of 2025 see a mass return of expatriates to Lebanon for the holidays? With the end of the war with Israel, the election of a president and the formation of a new government, the country is regaining relative stability that would encourage the diaspora to return for the summer. But that's not counting on ticket prices to Beirut, deemed too high by many expatriates.At the height of the war, between September and November 2024, international airlines had canceled all flights to and from Lebanon. Only the national airline, Middle East Airlines (MEA), had maintained a few flights, despite the bombs. This initiative was widely applauded by all those seeking to flee the hell of war and who could afford to pay thousands of dollars for seats. Today, in the shadow of a fragile cease-fire that held for six months, ticket prices...
Will the summer of 2025 see a mass return of expatriates to Lebanon for the holidays? With the end of the war with Israel, the election of a president and the formation of a new government, the country is regaining relative stability that would encourage the diaspora to return for the summer. But that's not counting on ticket prices to Beirut, deemed too high by many expatriates.At the height of the war, between September and November 2024, international airlines had canceled all flights to and from Lebanon. Only the national airline, Middle East Airlines (MEA), had maintained a few flights, despite the bombs. This initiative was widely applauded by all those seeking to flee the hell of war and who could afford to pay thousands of dollars for seats. Today, in the shadow of a fragile cease-fire that held for six months, ticket...