Summary

  • Several airlines have suspended flights to Lebanon due to escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
  • Lufthansa Group and other carriers have canceled flights, advising travelers to monitor their flight status closely.
  • MEA is the largest carrier in Beirut, with the busiest route to Dubai and facing competition on the Istanbul route.

Following a missile attack in Golan Heights over the weekend, several airlines have suspended flights to Lebanon for fear of an escalation in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

Exercising caution

Earlier today, the Lufthansa Group announced it was suspending flights to Beirut for one week, until August 5. The halting of operations was not limited to Germany but also to several other countries, like France, Jordan, Turkey, and more. As of 21:00 Eastern Time, 28% of departing flights from Beirut had been delayed, while 10% had been canceled.

While the Lufthansa Group canceled its flights for a longer period, other carriers canceled for just a few days. Turkish Airlines canceled flights last night, as well as some today, and both Aegean Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines canceled their flights for tonight. Air France and Transavia, two of three members of the Air France-KLM Group, canceled flights today and tomorrow, and Royal Jordanian Airlines did the same.

Transavia France aircraft in sky

Photo: Transavia

Following a missile strike on Golan Heights on Saturday, which killed 12 people, tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have already increased. Though Hezbollah has denied attacking Israel, the Israeli government has denied that. As a result of the tension between the two, several countries have advised their citizens to leave or to shelter in place. The United States, Norway, Germany, and Italy have all issued warnings to their citizens.

The US State Department posted on X yesterday that flight cancelations were beginning to occur and were increasing and that travelers to and from the country should monitor their flight status closely.

A brief overview of flights in Beirut

Beirut-Rafic Al Hariri International Airport is the only commercial airport operating in Lebanon. According to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics firm, there were 5,410 roundtrip flights scheduled at BEY in August. Thirty-six different carriers serve the airport, with national carrier Middle East Airlines having the largest market share, just over 44%.

Between all the flights, there are over 961,000 seats available in and out of Beirut. Turkish Airlines has the second-largest market share, with just 4.5%, or 248 flights. Its seat offering is more than 60,000 for the month, as it deploys several widebodies, including the Airbus A330s, Boeing 787-9s, and Airbus A350-900s. Turkish Airlines is followed by Iraqi Airways and Pegasus Airlines, each with a slightly smaller market share.

A6-ECK Emirates Boeing 777-31H(ER) (1)

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

The busiest route from Beirut is to Dubai International Airport, which has 245 roundtrip flights and seven to eight daily roundtrips. Three carriers compete on the route: Middle Eastern Airlines, Flydubai, and Emirates. Though MEA operates the most flights of the three, Emirates has the largest seat offering, as it deploys its Boeing 777-300ERs on the route.

The second-busiest route is to Istanbul, with 434 roundtrip flights, seven daily. MEA also serves Istanbul, but faces competition from Turkish Airlines, which operates four daily flights, compared to MEA’s three. As Turkish deploys larger aircraft to Beirut, its average number of seats per departure is 270.5, while MEA’s is 148.4.

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