US lifts 41-year ban on flights to and from Lebanon
President Donald Trump has lifted a flight ban between the United States and Lebanon that had been in place since 1985. Technical and safety checks must still be completed before services can start.
The United States has lifted a ban on flights to and from Lebanon in force since 1985, ending more than four decades of restrictions on air links between the two countries.
Then-president Ronald Reagan introduced the prohibition after Hezbollah fighters hijacked a TWA Boeing 727 carrying 155 people and held it for 17 days. It was reaffirmed several times over the years.
President Donald Trump has now rescinded the measure. According to a statement from the Lebanese presidency, the decision reflects confidence in the steps the Lebanese state has taken to ensure civil aviation safety, to protect air traffic to and from Beirut and to improve the safety of flights between Lebanon and countries around the world.
Flights will not resume immediately. The source says implementation still requires technical and safety-related checks by the United States, among them reviews of airport infrastructure, passenger screening procedures and air traffic control.
The change matters for the roughly 1.3 million people in the United States estimated to have Lebanese roots. Until now they have had to change planes to visit relatives in Lebanon.
Sources
- aerotelegraph.comNach 41 Jahren: USA heben Flugverbot für den Libanon auf