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Friday, October 16, 2026
Trump move to restart direct US flights with Lebanon said to hit roadblock
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The United Nations aviation agency has found Lebanon’s main airport lacks valid certification, according to a report summary seen by Reuters, in a setback to US President Donald Trump’s move to revive direct US-Beirut flights.
Trump made the announcement in July and signed an order last month for the US government to allow direct flights from the US to Lebanon, reversing a four-decade-long suspension after TWA Flight 847 was hijacked and forced to land in Beirut in 1985.
While the US Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Security Administration would still need to conduct safety reviews before flights could resume, the Lebanese embassy in Washington called Trump’s order “a significant first step toward restoring direct air service between Lebanon and the United States.”
However, the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) technical assistance mission to Lebanon in July identified shortcomings at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport and in the aviation system.
The findings, which two senior industry officials familiar with the matter expect to delay the resumption of service, complicate efforts to follow up on an order Trump signed after meeting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. Washington has backed Aoun as it pushes for the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group to be disarmed.
The agency sent its internal report, made at the request of the Lebanese Civil Aviation Authority (LCAA), to Lebanon in September.
The Times of Israel Community.