Lebanon welcomes back airlines: Is it time to rediscover the Pearl of the Middle East?

Airlines return to Beirut: Will this signal a tourism revival in Lebanon?

Turkish Airlines has joined other carriers in resuming flights to Beirut after Lebanon reached a ceasefire agreement with Israel last week.

The Istanbul-based airline began flying to the Lebanese capital this week, along with Royal Jordanian and Iraqi Airways. Qatar Airways said it aims to return with flights on Dec. 9, while Abu Dhabi’s Etihad plans to start up its service again on Dec. 18.

Foreign carriers halted flight to Lebanon in September after Israel stepped up strikes on Hezbollah and enacted its heaviest attack on Beirut in almost two decades. Up until this week, Middle East Airlines, the country’s flagship carrier, was the only operator still flying in and out of Lebanon.

A ceasefire agreement came into effect last week. Prior to the conflict with Israel, Lebanon had sought to bolster visitor numbers this year. Tourism, mostly from the Lebanese diaspora that ranks among the largest in the world, is a key form of income for the Middle Eastern country that’s been reeling from economic crisis since 2019.