Trump lifts Lebanon flight limits
U.S. President Donald Trump revoked four presidential decisions that had restricted air transport between the United States and Lebanon, and the change was published in the United States Federal Register on October 5.
The Lebanese presidency said President Joseph Aoun welcomed Trump’s decision and thanked Trump for responding to Aoun’s request during a meeting at the White House in July to lift restrictions on air movement between the two countries.
Anadolu Ajansı reported that Trump repealed four presidential decrees issued between 1985 and 2007, and the decision removed restrictions that had been imposed for security reasons because they were deemed no longer necessary to ensure the safety of aircraft bound for Lebanon against unlawful seizure.
The Lebanese presidency also said Trump instructed U.S. officials to restore air traffic between the two countries and issued an immediate statement calling on American airlines to resume flights to Beirut.
The Lebanese Embassy in Washington welcomed the decision, while it also said the repeal did not automatically start flights because operational and security approvals were still required.
No start date set
The Lebanese Embassy in Washington welcomed the decision and said it came after Trump’s announcement following his meeting with Lebanese President Jozef Aoun at the White House on July 21 and after a meeting that brought together Prime Minister Nawaf Salam with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on September 28.
CNN Arabic said Presidential Proclamation No. 2026-25, signed by Trump on September 30 and published in the U.S. Federal Register on October 5, repealed four prior proclamations issued between 1985 and 2007 on grounds of security concerns related to aviation safety.
CNN Arabic also said the American decision took effect immediately upon issuance but did not specify a date for launching direct flights between Lebanon and the United States.
Arab News said the presidential memorandum signed on September 30 revoked restrictions from 1985, 1992, 1998, and 2007, but it also said no date had yet been set for the start of direct flights.
Arab News added that Beirut and Washington still needed to finalize regulatory, security, and operational arrangements before direct flights could resume.
Aoun frames it as confidence
President Joseph Aoun told the Lebanese presidency that the decision was a sign of confidence in the measures taken by the Lebanese state to ensure the safety of civil aviation and to protect the movement of air traffic to and from Beirut.
Aoun also thanked U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio for close follow-up on the issue and thanked those involved in bringing it to completion, while he said Lebanon attached the highest priority to civil aviation safety and the security of Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport.
Naharnet quoted Aoun saying Lebanon attaches “utmost importance” to civil aviation safety, the security of Beirut International Airport, and air navigation, and it said Lebanon “continues to take the necessary measures in accordance with approved international standards” to safeguard passengers.
The Chicago Tribune, citing the Associated Press, said Aoun described the lifting of the flight restrictions imposed four decades ago as an indication of Washington’s confidence in the measures Beirut has taken to address civil aviation safety.
i24NEWS said the restrictions were imposed in 1985 during the Reagan administration following the hijacking of Trans World Airlines (TWA) flight 847, and it said the decision paved the way for resuming direct flights even though no specific timetable had been announced.
Source: newscord.org
