Trump move to restart direct US flights with Lebanon hits roadblock: Reuters

The United Nations aviation agency has found Lebanon's main airport lacks valid certification, according to a report summary seen by Reuters, in a setback to U.S. President Donald Trump's move to revive direct U.S.-Beirut flights.

Trump made the announcement in July and signed an order last month for the U.S. ‌government to allow direct flights from the U.S. to Lebanon, reversing a four-decade-long suspension after TWA Flight 847 was hijacked and forced to land in Beirut in 1985.

While the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Security Administration would still need to conduct safety reviews before flights could resume, the Lebanese embassy in Washington called Trump's order "a significant first step toward restoring direct air service between Lebanon and the United States."

However, the U.N.'s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) technical assistance mission to Lebanon in July identified shortcomings at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport and in the aviation system.

The findings, which two senior industry officials familiar with the matter expect to delay the resumption of service, complicate efforts to follow up on an order Trump signed after meeting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. Washington has backed Aoun as it pushes for Iran-backed Hezbollah to be disarmed.

The agency sent its internal report, made at the request of the Lebanese Civil Aviation Authority (LCAA), to Lebanon in September.

Reuters