Trump lifts decades-old ban on direct U.S.-Beirut flights

Donald Trump directed his administration to let U.S. airlines resume direct flights to Lebanon, lifting a ban that had kept nonstop service to Beirut shut for more than four decades. The decision could immediately affect U.S.-Lebanese families, airline routing and travel into Beirut’s Rafik Hariri Airport.

The prohibition dates to 1985, when Hezbollah hijacked Trans World Airlines Flight 847 on June 14 after it left Athens for Rome and forced it to land in Beirut. The flight carried 139 passengers and 8 crew members, and the Federal Aviation Administration later issued a notice prohibiting operations into Beirut International for certain U.S. carriers. That restriction became one of the most durable aviation carryovers from the terrorism era.

The practical effect of reopening the route is significant. Families with ties to Lebanon would no longer have to rely entirely on indirect connections through Europe or the Gulf, and a nonstop U.S.-Beirut service could restore a long-missing option for business and leisure travel. Lebanon has been trying to attract international investment and restart economic activity after years of financial strain, and analysts have said resumed direct flights could become a highly valuable source of revenue for the Lebanese state. The country’s airport and airline sector remain central to its connectivity.

Trump’s move also came after he met Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun, underscoring the diplomatic calculation behind the reversal. For Washington, allowing direct flights can be read as a limited but visible shift toward engagement with Beirut at a time when Lebanese officials are pressing for support and a steadier economic outlook.

The security picture, however, has not gone away. On June 22, 2025, the State Department ordered family members and non-emergency U.S. government personnel to depart Lebanon, and travel guidance for the country has continued to warn of security risks. Critics are likely to see that as the core concern: a direct route could expose airlines and passengers to an environment that remains volatile across Lebanon and the wider region.

For Beirut, the reopening of U.S. service would be more than a convenience. It would mark the first real rollback of a 1985 terrorism-era aviation restriction and a sign that Washington is willing to separate commercial access from the worst fears that defined the ban.