Mass Escape from Beirut International Airport
August 5, 2024, 3:06 pm

Mass Escape from Beirut International Airport

Mass Escape from Beirut International Airport

On Monday, Lebanese Middle East Airlines announced that the irregular schedules of their flights were due to insurance risks arising from escalating tensions between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah, leading to the cancellation or delay of some flights at Beirut Airport.

These developments followed a rocket attack that killed 12 people in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday, increasing fears of a full-scale war between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, according to Reuters.

The Israeli security cabinet authorized the government, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, to respond to the attack. Hezbollah denied responsibility for the attack, which resulted in the highest number of casualties in both Israel and the annexed territories since Hamas' attack on Israel ignited the Gaza war on October 7th.

The departure and arrival schedules at Beirut Airport and the flight tracking site "Flight Radar 24" showed that Lufthansa and its subsidiary Eurowings canceled three flights to Beirut scheduled for Monday afternoon.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Lufthansa Group announced the suspension of its flights to the Lebanese capital Beirut until July 30th due to the current situation in the Middle East, before extending the suspension until August 5th. The company added that this measure includes flights by Swiss International Air Lines, Eurowings, and Lufthansa as a precautionary measure.

Data from "Flight Radar 24" also showed that Turkish Airlines canceled two flights on Sunday night. Turkish low-cost carrier SunExpress, Turkish Airlines subsidiary Anadolujet, Greek airline Aegean Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, and Middle East Airlines canceled flights scheduled to arrive in Beirut on Monday. The airlines have yet to respond to requests for comment.

It is noteworthy that Beirut International Airport, known as Rafic Hariri Airport, is the only airport in Lebanon. The airport was targeted during the Lebanese Civil War and in previous conflicts with Israel, including the last war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006.

In a related context, Middle East Airlines stated on Sunday that it had postponed the departure of some flights scheduled to arrive in Beirut that night. Additional delays were later announced for flights scheduled to land on Monday for technical reasons related to the distribution of insurance risks on aircraft between Lebanon and other destinations.

Levant News

Netanyahu Vows Doubling Response to Any Attack from Iran or Its Allies Strengthening Russian-Iranian Cooperation After the Assassination of Ismail Haniyeh

BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”