[Kataeb] mentioned today quoting Beirut-Rafic Hariri airport’s manager Fadi El-Hassan that MEA and Air Canada are undergoing serious negotiations to bring back the non-stop Montreal Beirut flight. I can’t find Al Hassan’s statement anywhere so I am not sure how credible this source of information is.
The non-stop flight from Montreal to Beirut was halted back in 2003 due to “national security issues” and to “safeguard Canadians against terrorism” based on information from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). The issue was brought up by the Huffington Post a couple of months ago where the author questioned “why flights to Beirut are mundane occurrences for our European allies, yet are deemed an issue of “national security” for Canada”. Non-stop flights from the US to Beirut have been stopped since 1985 as well following the hijacking of a TWA American passenger plane at Beirut Airport.
To be honest, I don’t think this will happen anytime soon. Beirut will need to enhance its airport’s security drastically to get its license back, and let’s not forget the politics involved in the airport and its security.
