Beirut airport safety issues stall US-Lebanon flight initiative

Efforts to reinstate direct flights between the United States and Lebanon have encountered significant obstacles following a report from the United Nations aviation agency. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) identified critical deficiencies at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport, noting that its conditional certification has expired.

The ICAO technical assistance mission highlighted that the airport’s firefighting capabilities are currently only sufficient for single-aisle aircraft, leaving it unequipped for the larger twin-aisle jets required for long-haul flights. Additionally, the report stated that the airport lacks a formal emergency response plan.

While US President Donald Trump signed an order in September to facilitate the resumption of these services—which have been suspended since the 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847—the move remains contingent on safety evaluations by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The Lebanese embassy in Washington has characterized the presidential order as a vital step toward restoring connectivity, but industry officials expect the ICAO findings to delay the implementation of the directive.