ICAO audit findings delay reopening of direct US–Lebanon flights

A technical report from the International Civil Aviation Organization has set back efforts to restore direct commercial flights between the United States and Lebanon, according to Reuters.

President Donald Trump announced the initiative in July and signed an order the following month directing the US government to permit nonstop operations, reversing a ban in place for 40 years. That prohibition followed the 1985 hijacking of TWA flight 847.

Lebanon's embassy in Washington described the order as a significant first step. Reuters notes that any restart still depends on full security reviews by the Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Security Administration.

The ICAO assistance mission was requested by Lebanon's civil aviation authority and carried out in July. Its findings, delivered in an internal report in September, describe urgent vulnerabilities at Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport.

According to a summary of the report, the airport holds no valid certification, an issue characterised as serious and time-critical for preserving its operating status. The facility also lacks a formally established emergency response plan.

Two senior aviation industry executives said the technical findings are expected to delay the start of services. The political drive behind the plan followed meetings between Trump and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, at a time when Washington backs Aoun while pressing for the disarmament of Iran-backed Hezbollah.