For more than four decades, direct flights between the United States and Lebanon remained suspended, a legacy of the 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847 and the killing of a US Navy diver during the subsequent 17-day hostage crisis.
The ban outlasted Lebanon’s civil war, repeated attempts at political normalisation and the large-scale growth of Lebanese communities across North America.
That may now be changing.
Following Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s visit to the White House this week, US President Donald Trump announced that he was directing his administration to allow American carriers to resume direct flights to Lebanon for the first time since the Reagan administration suspended the route.
“After meeting with the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, who has done a remarkable job working to transform his Country, I am hereby directing my Administration to allow all U.S. airline carriers to fly directly to Lebanon so that Americans can easily visit this beautiful land,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, signing off with: “Enjoy!”
