I was planning on a trip to BEY in Sept to visit an old mate who works on an English radio station there. Might reconsider now which is a great pity as I love Beirut, definitely one of the most fascinating places in the Middle East.
Looks pretty grim, CNN reporting all three runways hit, so it may be some time before anything gets out of there which is worrying in a country with pretty much only one airport.
Most European flights from BEY depart in the small hours, but off the top of my head the morning Royal Jordanian and Cyprus Airways flight might be stuck in there. I'd imagine the Israelis chose their moment carefully so as not to upset the Western carriers too much.
EDIT: Latest reports are that not all runways hit and the MEA fleet is to be relocated to Larnaca for now.
'Lebanon's Rafik Hariri International Airport is closed after the Israeli air force attacked the facility and damaged its runways, the director general of civil aviation said.
``We are currently assessing the damage to see when we can reopen the airport,'' Hamdi Shawk said today in a telephone interview from Beirut. No one was hurt in the attack, he said.
Israeli's military is attacking targets across Lebanon after forces from the Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah crossed the border into the north of Israel yesterday, starting clashes that led to the death of eight Israeli soldiers and the capture of two others. Israel's government said Beirut airport is being used to transfer Hezbollah arms.
``There is no truth to Israeli claims'' the airport is used to smuggle weapons, Hezbollah spokesman Hussain Nabulsi said in a telephone interview from Beirut.
Emirates, the biggest Arab airline, British Airways, Lufthansa and other carriers diverted flights and canceled others till further notice. Middle East Airlines, Lebanon's national carrier, said it sent more than half its fleet to Cyprus as a ``precautionary measure'' before the Israeli strike.
MEA, as the carrier is also known, sent six of its nine aircraft to Cyprus late yesterday, Nizar Khoury, the head of the airline's commercial department, said in a telephone interview from Beirut. Two returned this morning minutes before the Israeli attack, Khoury said.
No planes were damaged in the attack, Khoury said.
Canceling Flights
``Due to ongoing military operations'' in Lebanon, Emirates flights between Dubai, U.A.E., and Beirut today and tomorrow have been canceled, the Dubai-based airline said in e-mailed answers to questions.
Emirates operates 13 flights to Beirut a week from its hub in Dubai. Transit passengers traveling to the Lebanese capital will be put up in Dubai hotels, the carrier said.
Ian Ferguson-Brown, a spokesman for Etihad Airways, said Etihad's daily flights between its Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. and Beirut are ``canceled until further notice in light of the security situation there.''
British Airways Plc, Europe's third-largest airline, flies a daily London Heathrow to Beirut route operated by a franchise partner, British Mediterranean Airways. The route has been suspended until further notice.
`Incredible Route'
``Beirut has been an incredible route for us,'' said British Mediterranean spokeswoman Alex McHaines in a telephone interview today. ``It was our company launch route, we've flown it for 11 years and in the summer months it is almost full.''
British Mediterranean's plane, a 149-seat Airbus SAS A321 in British Airways livery, had left Beirut airport before the attack by Israel's air force, McHaines said.
``Our flights to Beirut are being diverted to Alexandria in Egypt. Beirut is important for businessmen and we may be able to get them there via other Middle Eastern destinations,'' McHaines added. ``We don't know if it'll take days or weeks to repair the runway.''
McHaines declined to comment on Israeli claims Beirut airport is used as a supply route for Lebanon's armed Islamic group Hezbollah.
``We don't know yet what kind of escalation could come today or through the night,'' Thomas Jachnow, Deutsche Lufthansa AG spokesman in Frankfurt said. ``Security is obviously our top priority, so we'll remain in close contact with the authorities as the situation develops.''
Refunding Tickets
The airline hasn't decided whether to cancel its 9:25 a.m. flight from Frankfurt tomorrow, he said. The German airline has three flights a week between Frankfurt and Beirut.
Russia's OAO Aeroflot canceled a flight today to Beirut and passengers can exchange tickets or refund them without penalty, the airline said in an e-mailed statement.
``Our flight made it back from Beirut this morning without problems, so we're assessing the situation and haven't yet decided if we'll fly there tonight,'' Johann Jurceka, spokesman for Austrian Airlines Group in Vienna, said.
Austrian Airlines operates six roundtrip flights a week, every day except Tuesday, with a 150-seat Airbus A320 that leaves Beirut at 4:05 a.m. and leaves Vienna at 11:10 p.m.