Airlines keep Beirut flights on schedule after blasts

Flights in and out of Beirut continue to operate after the city’s airport sustained moderate damage in Tuesday’s explosions.

Beirut-Rafik Hariri International Airport is in the Tahouitet El Ghadir area of the city, about 10 kilometres from the city’s port, where the blasts occurred.

Pictures posted online by members of the Lebanese Plane Spotters group showed shattered windows and collapsed ceilings at the arrivals area of the airport.

Social media users said some of the lounges were also damaged in the blasts, which killed more than 135 people.

Priority Pass, a company that offers travellers access to all three lounge areas at the airport, said it was working with its partners in the country to assess the situation.

“Our immediate thoughts are with those impacted by this incident,” a company representative said.

But flights were not affected and Emirates airline told

that trips from Dubai were going ahead as scheduled.

The airline offers two daily flights from Dubai to the Lebanese capital.

Etihad Airways operates flights from Abu Dhabi to Beirut every day and said its schedule would not be affected.

Dubai’s low-cost airline, flydubai, also said it did not plan to make changes to its services.

“Flydubai flights to Beirut are currently operating according to schedule,” said an airline representative.

Middle East Airlines, which is Lebanon’s national airline and has its headquarters in Beirut, said it had more than a dozen flights scheduled yesterday.

There were no plans to delay or cancel them as result of the explosions, the airline said.

Flights continue to operate between Beirut and destinations such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Belgium and France.

A representative of Middle East Airlines told that none of its aircraft were damaged in Tuesday’s blasts.

Beirut-Rafik Hariri International Airport has been operating at a reduced capacity since it resumed flights on July 1.

The airport was closed for more than three months as part of efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Beirut airport was damaged by the explosions at the port