Long queues reported at Beirut airport
We’re getting reports of chaotic scenes at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport after several international airlines temporarily suspended their flights to Lebanon due to concerns about a military escalation.
Many passengers have been waiting for their flights since early in the morning. Sources at the airport told the dpa news agency that the queues were enormous with delays leading to passenger panic in some cases.
Others were frustrated because they missed connecting flights. “I was supposed to fly to Germany via Istanbul at dawn, but the flight kept getting postponed,” a passenger named Ahmed told dpa.
The airport in Beirut is Lebanon’s only international airport.
Passengers wait at the departure terminal of Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport
Jordan asks airlines to carry 45 minutes of extra fuel
The move is seen as a precautionary measure in case of an attack by Iran against Israel.
The NOTAM, a safety notice provided to pilots, was issued by Jordanian authorities, asking all airlines to carry the reserve fuel for “operational reasons”. It is effective until 22:00 GMT on Tuesday.
In a bulletin, OPSGROUP, a membership-based organisation that shares flight risk information, said the move was ahead of the anticipated closure of Jordanian airspace, a cautionary move in case of an attack on Israel by Iran.
“The Jordan NOTAM is relevant because in the April aerial attack on Israel, Jordan was the first country to close their airspace by NOTAM, well ahead of even Israel, Iran or Iraq,” Mark Zee, OPSGROUP’s chief executive, told Reuters.
“The 45 minutes would be intended to provide enough additional fuel for an aircraft to leave Jordanian airspace and land elsewhere,” he added.
Some airlines are already avoiding Iranian and Lebanese airspace and cancelling flights to Israel and Lebanon amid growing fears of an escalation of the conflict in the region.
