Several airlines extend suspension of flights to Beirut

Several airlines announced Friday that they have extended the suspension of their flights to Beirut and other Middle Eastern destinations, amid the ongoing regional war waged by the United States and Israel against Iran. Middle East Airlines (MEA) is regularly adjusting its flight schedule for the coming days.

Flights by Turkish Airlines and Pegasus to several countries in the region, including Lebanon, have been suspended until March 13, after initially being scheduled to resume on March 9, according to two sources at travel agencies in Lebanon.

On Friday, Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu also specified that Pegasus Airlines had removed flights to Iran from its programs until March 12, and that Turkish Airlines had done the same until March 20.

In an update published March 9, the Lufthansa group also announced the cancellation of flights by its airlines serving Lebanon — including Eurowings — until April 2. Flights to Tel Aviv will also be suspended until that date. Routes to and from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Dammam (Saudi Arabia), Amman (Jordan) and Erbil (Iraq) are suspended through March 28. The group will resume its flights to Larnaca as of Saturday, as planned, and also serves the airports of Riyadh and Jeddah.

Air France, for its part, extended Monday the suspension of its flights to Lebanon and Israel until March 13, after the previous announcement had set March 8 for a potential gradual resumption, which was subject to review of the security situation there.

According to a notification sent to its clients and reviewed by L’Orient-Le Jour, German airline Sundair, which operated seven weekly flights between Beirut, Hanover and Berlin, will suspend its flights until March 17. Another German carrier, Condor Airlines, will extend its flight suspension until March 31. The company, based in Neu-Isenburg, operated three weekly flights between Beirut and Düsseldorf.

Royal Jordanian has made no announcement but continues to cancel its daily Beirut-Amman flights, even though Jordan fully reopened its airspace earlier in the week. According to a travel agency, the Jordanian airline is among those that have yet to clearly communicate about the issue, but may extend the suspension of their flights for some time yet.

Among other recent announcements, Emirates said last week that it plans “a 100 percent return to its network in the coming days, subject to airspace availability and compliance with all operational requirements,” but has not yet mentioned Lebanon.

Etihad Airways resumed a “limited flight schedule” last Friday from its Abu Dhabi hub, after operating some flights in recent days. The company posted a list of more than 70 destinations on X that it intends to serve between March 6 and 19. Beirut is not on the list.

Finally, Qatar Airways planes, which were mostly grounded due to the closure of Qatari airspace, have begun operating certain flights to a list of destinations that does not include Beirut for now.

This article will be updated regularly