Dubai: Leading UAE carriers said Monday that their operations to Beirut remain unaffected amid escalating tensions between the Lebanese Hezbollah and Israel.
And this is despite regional carriers and most European airlines suspending operations in Lebanon’s capital.
“Our flights are operating to schedule,” a spokesperson for Etihad Airways, the UAE’s flag carrier, told Gulf News.
Similarly, Emirates’ sister concern, flydubai’s flights to Beirut are also operating as scheduled. A spokesperson said, “flydubai flights to Beirut are operating as scheduled. We are monitoring the situation closely.” However, passengers have been advised to check the flight status on flydubai’s website for the latest information regarding their flights.
Dubai’s flagship carrier, Emirates, continues as scheduled, according to flight status data on the Dubai Airports’ website. Gulf News has contacted the airline for a comment. A response is awaited.
Similarly, Sharjah carrier Air Arabia’s Monday operations to Beirut also continue without a hitch. Meanwhile, Qatar Airways, a spokesperson said, would adjust its schedule to ensure all flights to Beirut operate during the day.
A rocket strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday has escalated concerns of a wider spread war in the region.
Most European carriers and some regional carriers operating in Beirut have cancelled operations due to this.
According to Flightradar24 – a live flight tracking platform – Turkey-based budget carrier SunExpress, Turkish Airlines subsidiary AJet, Greek carrier Aegean Airlines, Ethiopian Air, and Lebanon’s flag carrier Air Liban SAL (also known as Middle East Airlines) have also cancelled flights scheduled to land in Beirut on Monday. The Middle East Airlines flight to Beirut from Dubai, scheduled to depart at 9.40 pm from DXB, has also been cancelled.
Turkish Airlines also cancelled two flights on Sunday.
On Monday, 12 Air Liban flights to and from Beirut airport were delayed, including to destinations in France, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, and Iraq.
“Due to technical reasons related to the distribution of insurance risks for aircraft between Lebanon and other destinations, Middle East Airlines also announces additional changes to some of its flights on July 29,” the airline said in a statement.
European carriers Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Swiss International, Eurowings, and Austrian Airlines have paused travel to the region since the conflict began.
Air France said Monday that, due to the security situation at the destination, it will suspend flights between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Beirut on July 29 and 30. The airline said, “Air France is monitoring the situation in Lebanon in real-time.”
With inputs from Anoushka Nambiar, Intern at Gulf News
