UAE airlines extend cancellation of Beirut flights amid Israel-Hezbollah crisis

[Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect the latest updates on flight cancellations from UAE airlines.]

UAE-based airlines extended their flight cancellations to Beirut on Tuesday in response to the ongoing Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

Dubai-based Emirates Airlines has extended the cancellation of flights to Beirut until and including December 31, as Israel continues to strike Lebanese territories. Etihad Airways has also cancelled its services to and from Beirut until November 14 in response to the ongoing regional situation.

On October 30, the Israeli army told residents of the east Lebanon city of Baalbek and surrounding villages to leave immediately as they prepared to attack Hezbollah targets.

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Earlier announcements

Earlier, the carrier had cancelled operations until October 31 due to the unrest in Lebanon. Emirates also confirmed that customers travelling to or from Beirut will not be accepted for travel at their points of origin, particularly affecting those transiting through Dubai. The airline also urged customers impacted by this decision to contact their booking agents or Emirates' customer service for assistance.

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has also extended flight suspensions to and from Beirut until October 24. The airline earlier announced cancellation of flights till October 11. Passengers transiting through Abu Dhabi with a final destination of Beirut will not be accepted for travel from their point of origin, unless they have made their own onward travel arrangements from Abu Dhabi.

In a statement to Khaleej Times, both airlines said, "We continue to closely monitor the situation in Lebanon and are in contact with the relevant authorities regarding developments. The safety of our guests and crew is our number one priority and we regret any inconvenience caused by this cancellation."

Likewise, flydubai flights between Dubai International (DXB) and Beirut have been cancelled until October 31.

"We continue to monitor the situation closely and amend our flight schedule accordingly," the carrier’s spokesperson said in a statement to Khaleej Times.

The UAE airline had earlier suspended flights between Dubai and Beirut till October 7. But local and international airlines are extending flight suspensions as Israeli military aircraft continues to pound targets in Lebanon.

• Lebanon: At least 356 killed, over thousands injured in Israeli strikes; next 'phase' of attacks announced