Kuwait Airways operated its last flight from Beirut to Kuwait on Sunday, August 4, 2024. The carrier used two flights to serve a large number of passengers who wanted to return to the Gulf country.
Earlier, the airline urged passengers to be at the airport four hours before their scheduled departure. Additionally, reservation dates can be modified through the airline’s ticket reservation channels.
The company said in a press release that the decision was made in coordination with the Foreign Ministry and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
On Wednesday, the DGCA affirmed it was continually coordinating with the Foreign Ministry and Kuwaiti air carriers to reschedule flights from and to Beirut via Kuwait International Airport.
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In a statement, the KAC urged passengers who want to reschedule their booking to call from outside Kuwait at hotline: 009611985181, 0096524345555 (171), or WhatsApp: 0096522200171.
Citizens asked to leave
Saudi Arabia and Oman called on its citizens to leave Lebanon immediately due to the deteriorating security situation in the region.
Oman’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has advised against travel to Lebanon and has provided contact information for the Omani Embassy in Beirut for any emergencies. This advisory comes as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety and well-being of Omani citizens.
The Saudi embassy in Beirut asked citizens to leave in “compliance with the decision to ban travel to Lebanon.” The embassy added that it “is closely following the developments of events” in southern Lebanon.
Travel rush
Travellers waited in long lines at Beirut airport on Sunday, some after cutting summer holidays short, as airlines have cancelled flights and fears have grown of all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Hezbollah movement has traded near-daily fire with Israeli forces in support of ally Hamas since the Palestinian militant group’s October 7 attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war.
But the killing Wednesday of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, hours after the Israeli assassination in Beirut of Hezbollah’s military chief Fuad Shukr, has sparked vows of vengeance from Iran and other Tehran-backed armed groups, including Hezbollah, and sent regional tensions skyrocketing.
“I’m not happy to leave. I wanted to spend the whole summer in Lebanon then go back to work” in France, said Joelle Sfeir from the crowded departures hall at Beirut airport.
But “my flight was cancelled and I was forced to book another ticket today,” she told AFP.
“I cut my trip short so I could find a flight,” she added.
Several airlines including Lufthansa and Air France have delayed or suspended flights to Lebanon, and countries have issued urgent calls for foreign nationals to leave in recent days.
With inputs from agencies