Cyprus seen as best option as countries scramble to get nationals out of Beirut
Western nations are ramping up contingency plans to evacuate citizens from Lebanon after a sharp escalation in the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese armed movement Hezbollah, coupled with Iran’s missile attack on Israel on Tuesday.
No country has launched a large-scale military evacuation yet, though some are chartering aircraft as Beirut airport stays open. Plans to evacuate to Cyprus by sea will enable movement of larger groups.
Airlines suspend flights
AEGEAN AIRLINES
The Greek airline cancelled flights to and from Beirut until Oct. 31 and to and from Tel Aviv until Oct. 6.
AIR ALGERIE
The Algerian airline suspended flights to and from Lebanon until further notice.
AIRBALTIC
Latvia’s airBaltic cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until Oct. 31.
AIR EUROPA
The Spanish airline cancelled flights to Tel Aviv until Oct. 2.
AIR FRANCE-KLM
Air France on Sept. 30 suspended Paris-Tel Aviv and Paris-Beirut flights until Oct. 8.
KLM has suspended all flights to Tel Aviv until the end of this year at least, the carrier said on Oct. 1. It had previously cancelled all flights to Tel Aviv until Oct. 26. The Franco-Dutch group’s low-cost unit Transavia cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until March 31, 2025, and flights to Amman and Beirut until Nov. 3.
AIR INDIA
The Indian flag carrier suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv until further notice.
BULGARIA AIR
The Bulgarian carrier cancelled flights to and from Israel until Oct. 15.
CATHAY PACIFIC
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific cancelled all flights to Tel Aviv until March 27, 2025.
DELTA AIR LINES
The U.S. carrier paused flights between New York and Tel Aviv through Dec. 31.
EASYJET
The UK budget airline stopped flying to and from Tel Aviv in April and will resume flights on March 30, 2025, a spokesperson said.
EMIRATES
UAE’s state-owned airline cancelled flights between Dubai and Beirut until Oct. 8.
ETIHAD AIRWAYS
Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways said it was re-routing a number of its flights on Oct. 2 in response to airspace restrictions in parts of the Middle East.
FLYDUBAI
The Emirati airline on Sept. 30 cancelled Dubai-Beirut flights until Oct. 7. It also cancelled flights to Jordan, Iraq, Israel and Iran on Oct. 2-3 due to the temporary closure of a number of air spaces.
IAG
IAG-owned British Airways cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv through Oct. 7, the airline said in an e-mailed comment.
Spanish low-cost carrier Vueling cancelled operations to Tel Aviv until Jan. 12, 2025, while flights to Amman were cancelled until further notice.
IRAN AIR
The Iranian airline cancelled all flights to Beirut until further notice, a company spokesman told local media on Sept. 28.
IRAQI AIRWAYS
The Iraqi national carrier suspended flights to and from Beirut until further notice, Iraq’s transportation ministry said on Sept. 27.
ITA AIRWAYS
Italy’s ITA Airways extended the suspension of Tel Aviv flights through Oct. 31.
LOT
The Polish flag carrier suspended flights to Lebanon until further notice, it said in an emailed comment on Sept. 20.
LUFTHANSA GROUP
The German airline group suspended flights to Tel Aviv until Oct. 31 while flights to Tehran have been suspended until Oct. 26 (inclusive). Flights to Beirut will be suspended until Nov. 30.
It said it will avoid Iranian, Iraqi and Jordanian airspace up to and including Oct. 2 amid an escalation of an armed conflict in the Middle East, suspending flights to and from Amman and Erbil.
SunExpress, a joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines THYAO.IS, suspended flights to Beirut through Dec. 17.
PEGASUS
The Turkish airline cancelled flights to Beirut until Oct. 7, a company spokesperson said.
RYANAIR
Europe’s biggest budget airline cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until Oct. 26, citing “operational restrictions.”
QATAR AIRWAYS
The Qatari airline temporarily suspended flights to and from Beirut until further notice.
SUNDAIR
The German airline cancelled Berlin-Beirut and Bremen-Beirut flights until Oct. 31.
UNITED AIRLINES
The Chicago-based airline suspended flights to Tel Aviv for the foreseeable future due to security reasons.
Here are details on contingency planning:
AUSTRALIA
Its contingency plans could include evacuation by sea, though authorities have urged an estimated 15,000 citizens in Lebanon to leave while Beirut airport remains open.
BELGIUM
Belgium’s foreign ministry has advised citizens to leave as soon as possible, the Belga news agency said.
CANADA
News reports from Canada suggest it will co-operate with Australia in evacuating nationals by sea. The plan involves contracting a commercial vessel to ferry out 1,000 people a day, the Toronto Star newspaper said.
CYPRUS
The European Union member state closest to the Middle East is a likely hub for evacuations, having processed about 60,000 people fleeing the Hezbollah-Israel war in 2006. Neighbouring Turkey has offered facilities as well.
Cyprus has asked Greece to provide an aircraft that could be used to evacuate its nationals who wish to leave. There are an estimated 1,500 Cypriots in Lebanon.
FRANCE
France has not issued an evacuation order, despite having had plans for several months. Present contingency plans centre on Cyprus and Beirut airport, while it is also discussing evacuations via Turkey. France has a warship in the region, while a French helicopter carrier will arrive in the eastern Mediterranean in the coming days and take up position in case a decision is taken to evacuate foreign nationals from Lebanon.
GERMANY
Germany has evacuated non-essential staff, families of embassy workers and German nationals who are medically vulnerable from Lebanon and will support others trying to leave, the foreign and defence ministries said in a joint statement on Monday.
GREECE
The Greek foreign ministry has urged its citizens to leave Lebanon and avoid any travel there, with a frigate on standby in case assistance is needed.
ITALY
Italy has cut diplomatic staff and beefed up security personnel at its Beirut embassy. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has repeatedly urged nationals to leave the country and sought assurances from Israel over the safety of Italian peacekeepers in the area.
THE NETHERLANDS
The Netherlands will repatriate its citizens from Lebanon, Dutch news agency ANP said on Tuesday.
POLAND
Poland will limit staff numbers at its Beirut embassy, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday, adding that Warsaw would organise transport for citizens wanting to leave Lebanon.
PORTUGAL
Prime Minister Luis Montenegro has advised against travel to Lebanon, which assisted in the evacuation of a small number of Portuguese citizens living there.
TURKEY
Turkey is ready for a possible evacuation of Turks from Lebanon via air and sea, and is working with about 20 countries to ready its ports and airports for a possible evacuation of foreign nationals via Turkey. About 14,000 Turkish citizens were registered at the consulate in Lebanon, but the number was not definitive.
UNITED KINGDOM
Britain has urged nationals to leave immediately. It has moved about 700 troops to Cyprus, bolstering its military assets, including two Royal Navy ships. It also has two military bases on the island. Britain has chartered a flight to help meet any additional demand from Britons wishing to leave on Wednesday, and will fly them directly back to London.
UNITED STATES
The United States has ordered dozens of troops deployed to Cyprus to help prepare for scenarios such as an evacuation of Americans from Lebanon. It is working with airlines to add flights out of Lebanon, with more seats for Americans, the State Department said on Tuesday.