Confirmed: Kidnap in Lebanon linked to Syrian war - Middle East News | Latest News Headlines | The Irish Times - Sat, Aug 10, 2013

Turkey urged its citizens to leave Lebanon after a militant group claimed the abduction early yesterday of two Turkish airline pilots travelling in a shuttle bus from Beirut’s international airport to their hotel.
The group, calling itself Zuwwar Imam Ali al-Reda, demanded the release of nine Lebanese Shia pilgrims held since May 2012 by a Syrian rebel faction.
“[The pilots] are our guests until the hostages . . . are freed,” said the group, which blames Ankara for the abduction of the Shias by the rebel Free Syrian Army’s Northern Storm brigade operating along the Turkish border.
Pilot Murat Akpinar and co-pilot Murat Agca were taken less than 1km from the airport in a largely Shia area. The group’s name is that of the Shia sect’s eighth imam, seen as the rightful successor to the Prophet Muhammad.
Lebanon’s interior minister Marwan Charbel said an investigation had been launched while Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davuloglu spoke to Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati.....................more

So I guess they need to sack the head of that department then!

They need to sack the airport security head, the army solders and policemen that saw it all and all the politicians in Lebanon.

Other than that one can have a great time in Lebanon.

Just a SLF here but one with extensive experience working in the Middle East--including multiple visits to Beirut during the troubles in the 70s and 80s.

Since those troubles Beirut had been an increasingly safe destination, to the point were they were even beginning to get some of their tourist industry back.

Clearly this is changing for the worse again, likely as a result of the Syrian war and Hezboallah's involvement--but prior to this kidnapping I doubt Beirut would have shown up as a high risk destination. THY's reputation may or may not be deserved but in this particular circumstance it would have been very difficult to predict this kidnapping.

The THY website gives a romantic write up on Mogadishu and Kabul. I wonder who uses these flights... a famous international terrorist organisation with LTBA as transit hub Kabul not anymore perhaps, since hubs have shifted elsewhere, but with THY offering more than "150 destinations" (according to thier glossy advertisements), have a great way of getting around

Does anybody have any idea about navaids at MGQ? Inputs from drivers who dare to drag there would be most valuable. The Ottomans perhaps? :ouch:

overnight @ Beirut
 

Does anyone know if Lufthansa, LOT, British Airways, Turkish, Vueling, Air France and Alitalia's crews stay over in Beirut at all? Because one thing is to go there on a single movement and fly somewhere else; another completely different is to stay for the night... Any clues on that? Is it safe to commute between the airport and the hotel? Any particular security measures known to have been implemented by any of these airlines?
Thanks in advance.

AirBuzio,I don't think you're likely to get any information about security measures of airline crews anywhere in the world on this forum for fairly obvious reasons.

Sounds logical
 

Thanks for the feedback anyway; I was not expecting any specifics, other than to know if operators are letting crews overnight at Beirut. That is of concern for me since we are considering operating there soon and I'm not comfortable about the possibility of an overnight stay. It seems prudent not to stay but I don't want to overeact to the current media hype on the matter. Any guidance on any credible sources? Thank you for your time.

If you are not comfortable, then don't go. It is as simple as that.
There is no media overhype in this case. Two pilots were taken off a crew-bus in an attempt to leverage a release of prisoners in Lebanon.

Nothing overhyped about that. You have tensions on the rise between Syria and Turkey with Hezbollah and other splinter groups adding more spanners to the works - and they are going back to the age-old tactic of grabbing folks in the street.

The reality here is that these guys may already be dead, or they might be released soon or may follow the same fate as John McCarthy or Brian Keenan and spend the next decade being bundled from house to house.

You fly to Beirut or anywhere in the region with low opsec / persec, and factions allowed to run riot, and you risk getting nabbed.

(I know of a certain crew-bus operator over here that has a digital sign that lights up with the airline's name on it that flashes all the way from hotel to airport. They might as well just wave "Kidnap me" flags out the window. Here is not as much as a security risk but makes me wonder if the same is done in the Leb.)

It's all down to you. Go or no-go. How much is the job worth to you?
As someone said on here a while ago:
"Better to be alive and jobless...."

Thank you Farrell
 

I appreciate your straight to the point approach to the matter.

It truly seems like our concerns are legit then. Thank you for taking the time to reply.

To add to the above.
While I know that some (sadly not all) airlines train their crews on how to deal with a hijack situation, virtually no-one goes through training on how to deal with long-term abduction with a lot of time in solitary confinement.

While kidnapping is still a rare event, it is something that I think every pilot / cc flying in certain regions should seriously consider personally investing some salary cash in.

Some ex-military aircrew are fortunate enough to go through R2I / SERE training. They will tell you how much its worth to have it.
Knowledge is power.

I have a mate who is a cameraman for a news company and has spent most of his career in hotspots. He has some great contacts for the above training if anyone is interested in the details.

Latest FCO travel advice
 

See this link:-

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/lebanon

Is it an option for you to drop your pax of and reposition to Cyprus?

lol you are funny is it that bad @ thy?

Kidnapped Turkish pilots in Lebanon speak in audio message | News , Lebanon News | THE DAILY STAR

PressTV - Kidnapped Turkish pilots call for help from their government

...and check your Health and Life Insurance small print for non-payment in case of injuries or death suffered while operating a Civil Airliner into a zone of conflict, insurrection or war.

Have they been released?
 

No further replies indicating the outcome, have the pilots been released?

Turkish pilots to be traded for Iranian agents?

Doesn't look they've been released.

Time to React
 

It's time to get together to set the tone to free our pilot colleagues. And to ensure the safety and security of passengers and crew.

Help on the way??
 

This from a respected US analyst:
Turkey also appears to be making headway in negotiations involving Iran and Syria over the release of two Turkish pilots who were kidnapped at gunpoint in Beirut in August, with rumors now circulating that the pilots could be released within days.