Lufthansa suspends night flights between Beirut and Frankfurt until the end of July

Lufthansa has announced the suspension of its night flights from Beirut to Frankfurt until July 31, a spokesman for the German airline was quoted by Reuters. A German-based tour operator and a source at Beirut airport, both of whom asked not to be named, confirmed that the decision had been communicated to all parties concerned.

Two other companies belonging to the Lufthansa group, Swiss and Eurowings, will also adjust their flight schedules, according to a press release published on its website and relayed on X by the American embassy for the attention of its nationals in Lebanon.

“The Embassy encourages U.S. citizens traveling to or from Lebanon to closely monitor their flight status, be aware that itineraries can change with little or no warning, and make alternate plans,” it also read.

A decision linked to “current developments,” added the company’s spokesman, referring to a possible escalation of tensions between Hezbollah and Israel, which exchange fire daily on the border between South Lebanon and northern Israel and have intensified their mutual threats in recent weeks.

Daytime flights maintained

“Daytime flights to and from Beirut will remain unchanged,” the spokesman added. Lufthansa operates daily flights between Beirut International Airport and Frankfurt International Airport. The source at the airport speculates that Lufthansa is using the security situation to justify a decision that is more “economic,” stressing that the German airline “has not suspended its connection, but has simply reduced the frequency of its flights.”

Lufthansa, Swiss and Eurowings had temporarily suspended their flights to Beirut and Tel Aviv in the wake of the events since October 7, 2023 in Gaza, which began to overflow into South Lebanon the following day. They finally resumed them at the beginning of May with reduced frequencies compared to what they were before the war broke out.

So far, no other airline has followed suit. In June, Spanish low-cost carrier Vueling cancelled all flights from Barcelona to Beirut until early November, citing “current security events in Israel that impact not only flights to and from (the Jewish state), but also flights over its neighbouring airspace.”

Following recent security events in the region, some countries – including Germany, Canada, Kuwait and North Macedonia – have called on their nationals to leave Lebanon.

In its statement, the US embassy in Beirut “strongly urges its citizens to reconsider their travel to Lebanon,” without asking them to leave the country, and insists that “the security environment remains complex and can change rapidly.”