Dozens of passengers at Lebanon\u2019s only international airport were anxiously checking announcement boards yesterday as more flights to the capital were cancelled or delayed amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
\nBeirut International Airport was functioning but many passengers were stuck as major airlines announced flight suspensions, after Israel and Hezbollah announced broad strikes in an escalation of cross-border hostilities.
\n\u201cWe came at 4:30 am (0130 GMT) for our flight at 8:00 am but they told us it was cancelled,\u201d said Elham Shukair, a passenger headed to the United States via Jordan.
\nSeated on her bag in the arrivals hall, she said she had booked another flight later yesterday with Lebanon\u2019s Middle East Airlines in the hope of reaching Amman and making her onward connection.
\nYesterday, other passengers sat on the floor in the departures hall as screens showed cancelled or delayed flights, while the arrivals area was largely empty.
\n\u201cOur flight is still scheduled but it is delayed,\u201d said Diala Hatoum, who was set to travel with her son.
\n\u201cWe will see, we are waiting now,\u201d she added.
\nPassengers at Israel\u2019s Ben Gurion Airport also faced uncertainty after aviation authorities delayed or redirected flights. The airport resumed operations from 7:00 am (0400 GMT) following a brief suspension, but dozens of passengers were left stranded after some flights were cancelled or delayed. Air France and its subsidiary Transavia said they were suspending flights to Beirut and Tel Aviv scheduled for Sunday and Monday, adding that the move could be extended depending on the situation in the Middle East. Royal Jordanian Airlines announced the suspension of Beirut flights \u201cdue to the current situation\u201d.
\nThe UAE\u2019s Etihad Airways said it had also cancelled its services yesterday to and from Beirut and Tel Aviv.
\nOn Friday, German airline giant Lufthansa said it was extending a suspension of flights to Beirut until September 30 and to Tel Aviv until September 2. Lebanon\u2019s civil aviation authority emphasised yesterday that \u201cthe airport is functioning normally\u201d despite some disruptions.
\nThere is \u201cno truth\u201d to rumours that all flights have been cancelled, said a statement from the authority carried by the official National News Agency. \u2013 The Peninsula Qatar<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dozens of passengers at Lebanon\u2019s only international airport were anxiously checking announcement boards yesterday as more flights to the capital were cancelled or delayed amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. Beirut International Airport was functioning but many passengers were stuck as major airlines announced flight suspensions, after Israel and Hezbollah announced broad strikes in …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17052,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":null,"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[92,102],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-airports","category-featured-en"],"yoast_head":"\n