Beirut flights cancelled or delayed amid fears of Israeli attack
Updates with Air France suspension dates in paragraph 2
By Lisa Barrington
July 29 (Reuters) -Flights to and from Beirut airport were cancelled or delayed on Monday as tensions escalated between Israel and armed political group Hezbollah after a strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights killed 12 children and teenagers.
Air France AIRF.PA said on Monday that due to the security situation at the destination, it will suspend flights between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Beirut for the days of July 29 and 30, 2024.
"Air France is monitoring the situation in Lebanon in real time," the airline said.
Lufthansa LHAG.DE, Swiss and Eurowings of the Lufthansa Group have decided to suspend their flights from and to Beirut up to and including Aug. 5 due to the current developments in the Middle East, a group spokesperson said.
Lebanon's Middle East Airlines (MEA) said disruptions to its schedule were related to insurance risks.
Therocket strike in the Golan Heights on Saturday has added to concerns that Israel and the Iran-backed group could engage in a full-scale war.
Israel's security cabinet on Sunday authorised the government to respond to the strike. Hezbollah denied any responsibility for the attack, the deadliest in Israel or Israeli-annexed territory since Hamas' Oct. 7 assault sparked the war in Gaza, which has since spread to several fronts.
Beirut airport's flight information board and flight tracking website Flightradar24 show Turkish Airlines THYAO.IS also cancelled two flights overnight on Sunday.
Turkey-based budget carrier SunExpress, Turkish Airlines subsidiary AJet, Greek carrier Aegean Airlines, Ethiopian Air and MEA have also cancelled flights scheduled to land in Beirut on Monday, Flightradar24 shows.
The airlines did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport is Lebanon's only airport. It has been targeted in the country's civil war, and previous fighting with Israel, including in the last war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006.
On Sunday, MEA said it had delayed the departure of some flights set to land in Beirut overnight. Additional delays to flights landing on Monday were then announced due to "technical reasons related to the distribution of insurance risks for aircraft between Lebanon and other destinations", MEA said.
Hezbollah and the Israeli military have increased cross-border exchanges of fire since the Gaza war began. The conflict has disrupted flights and shipping across the region, including during reciprocal drone and missile attacks between Israel and Iran in April.
Lufthansa has already suspended night-time flights to and from Beirut for July due to "current developments" in the Middle East.
Explainer: Why the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict is heating up again https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/is-hezbollah-israel-conflict-about-spiral-2024-07-28/
Reporting by Lisa Barrington and Tala Ramadan; editing by Miral Fahmy
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.