Chaos, confusion at Beirut's only airport as Israel vows attack

On Tuesday, and for the third day in a row, Beirut's International Airport was gripped with confusion and chaos. Crowds of travellers were stranded in the facility as airlines cancelled their flights on the back of Saturday's attacks on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

With Tel Aviv blaming the Lebanese paramilitary group Hezbollah for the attacks which killed 12 people, which Hezbollah denies, Israel's pledge to retaliate harshly has led to the cancellation or delay of flights to and from the Lebanese capital, impacting thousands of people, as insurance costs force airlines to lower their risks amid reports Israel intends to strike the airport.

Hassan Mansour, a Lebanese student studying in a French university, was bound to depart on Monday morning but had his flight cancelled. For hours, he paced the airport's floor, constantly checking the display screens for any updates.

"I came to visit my family in Lebanon, and my return date was supposed to be in the morning to Lyon," he told The New Arab, his voice tinged with frustration. "But the company cancelled the flight and transferred us to another flight heading to Nice, France." 

Afraid to leave the airport lest more changes happen, Mansour stayed put. "I had no choice but to book another ticket at my own expense," he said.

German airline group Lufthansa said on Monday it would suspend all flights to Beirut until 5 August, which was followed by a similar move from Air France and its subsidiary Transavia, who announced the suspension of their flights between Paris and Beirut on Monday and Tuesday, citing the deteriorating security situation in Lebanon.

Today, further cancellations were announced, the latest from Royal Jordanian Airlines, Greece's Aegean Airlines, and Germany's Condor.  Aegean said it would suspend flights until Thursday, while Condor cancelled Tuesday's flight from Düsseldorf.

Although border skirmishes between Hezbollah and Israel have lasted for nearly 10 months, and the spectre of an escalation has always been looming, aviation for the most part was undeterred, except for a brief closure of the Lebanese airspace in April following Iran's airstrikes on Israel.

But this time round, travellers have set camp in the airport and many are unsure how much longer will this disruption last as more and more airlines changed their flights schedules, or cancelled them altogether. Turkish Airlines, Turkish budget carrier SunExpress, Turkish Airlines subsidiary AJet, Etihad, Ethiopian Airlines, EgyptAir, Iran Air, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian and even Lebanon's own Middle East Airlines were among the airlines that have cancelled or modified flights scheduled to arrive in or depart Beirut on Monday and Tuesday.

'Cancelled twice'

Forty-year-old Zina Al-Tawil was outside the airport to smoke a cigarette, a move she's resorted to countless times out of helplessness and frustration. Her sister and father remain near their luggage in the departure hall, awaiting any news on the fate of their trip.

"I’ve been waiting here since last night," she sighs. "No one tells us what to do. My flight was cancelled twice on different airlines, and now I'm trying to book a third one," she said in between cigarette puffs.

She explained how she futilely tried to convince her family to return home after they'd spent more than 12 hours with her in the departure lounge. "I feel very stressed," she admits. "My flight to America has several stops, and I've missed them all twice. There is no clarity from the airlines, and the news that keeps coming only adds to my stress."

Multiple Western embassies, including those of Germany, Italy, Canada, the UK and the US, have called on their citizens in Lebanon to leave the country, adding to the concerns and speculations of larger attacks by Israel. 

As of 14 July, at least 466 people have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli missiles according to the UN's humanitarian agency, OCHA, of whom 100 confirmed civilian deaths. Furthermore, 98,002 people have been displaced from southern Lebanon.

Uncertainty

Clara and Elie, a couple who had returned to Lebanon for a holiday with their families, say the two days of stress over returning to France, where they live, have negated the whole purpose of a break. "We are supposed to take off at 6 pm if nothing changes," Clara said in a tired voice. Their flight was due to depart on Sunday but was rescheduled to Monday evening, almost 24 hours later. Her husband, Elie, sits nearby with their five-year-old son on his knees, perched on the edge of a luggage cart.

"We were supposed to travel yesterday afternoon on Turkish Airlines," Elie explains. "After waiting for more than three hours, the company informed us that the flight was postponed until this evening. So, we headed back to our village, which is two hours away from the airport," he explained.

"I have to be back at work tomorrow after my holiday. I feel very tense and fear that something will happen, and we end up being stuck here," he said. 

Even those returning to Lebanon are facing uncertainty. Joelle Bachaalany, a 43-year-old mother, said she spent three hours in anxiety on Saturday while waiting for her 17-year-old daughter's return flight from Cyprus. For those hours, nothing was shared about the fate of the flight. "I was scared on my way to pick up my 17-year-old daughter, who had travelled to Cyprus with her choir mates," she says. "We had to wait three hours after her plane was delayed, as happened with many flights."

Her anxiety turned to joy when she saw her daughter. "When my daughter came through the aisle and I saw her singing with her choir mates, and people started clapping and singing along, I felt a surge of hope," Joelle recalls. "Despite all the threats and tensions that are happening, we still count on these generations who will return and sing in their country no matter what happens." 

This piece was published in collaboration with Egab.