Airspace chaos pushes Lebanon’s travel sector to the brink

Source: Nida Al Watan

Lebanon’s tourism and travel sector, already weakened by years of economic crisis and regional instability, is facing another severe blow as the ongoing war disrupts air traffic and travel demand across the region.

The head of the Lebanese Association of Travel and Tourist Agents, Jean Abboud, announced that activity in the sector has sharply declined due to the war, dropping by around 80 percent. He noted that travel agencies are now largely limited to canceling or modifying bookings.

Abboud explained that this situation is placing an additional burden on a sector already struggling under the weight of successive crises in Lebanon, starting with the economic collapse, followed by the Covid-19 pandemic, and most recently the wars of 2023 and 2024.

He warned that if the current war continues for an extended period, it could lead to the bankruptcy and closure of a large number of travel agencies, potentially resulting in hundreds of Lebanese losing their jobs.

Abboud also pointed out that travel activity is now largely limited to Middle East Airlines (MEA), in addition to a very small number of flights operated by Royal Jordanian Airlines and Turkish Airlines. He praised Middle East Airlines and its chairman Mohammad El-Hout for their significant efforts to maintain travel to and from Lebanon under extremely difficult circumstances.

Airspace restrictions

Regarding the broader impact of the war on global aviation, Abboud said the sector has experienced major disruptions due to extensive restrictions imposed on Middle Eastern airspace.

He explained that the closure of parts of regional airspace and the suspension of operations by several airlines have forced travelers to search for safer alternative routes, which in turn caused the price of some airline tickets to increase by as much as 900 percent.

Abboud also noted that some Asian airlines have benefited from their ability to operate long direct flights between Europe and Asia without passing through Middle Eastern airspace, while several Gulf airlines have been affected by the airspace restrictions.

He further revealed that more than 23,000 flights in the Middle East have been canceled since the outbreak of the war with Iran, out of approximately 36,000 flights that had been scheduled to and from the region, resulting in the loss of around 4.4 million passenger seats.

As regional tensions continue to reshape aviation routes and travel demand, Lebanon’s travel sector finds itself once again confronting the ripple effects of geopolitical instability, adding yet another challenge to an industry that has endured years of crisis.