Trump authorizes direct US-Lebanon flights, ending 40-year suspension
President Donald Trump ordered the resumption of direct flights between the United States and Lebanon on July 21, 2026, after a White House meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. The route had been suspended since 1985 following the hijacking of two TWA planes at Beirut airport by Hezbollah.
President Donald Trump announced the authorization of direct flights between the United States and Lebanon on July 21, 2026, ending a suspension that had lasted four decades. The decision followed a meeting at the White House with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, the first Lebanese head of state to visit the White House.
After meeting with the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, who has done an extraordinary job transforming his country, I order my Administration to allow all American airlines to fly directly to Lebanon, so that Americans can easily visit this beautiful land.
Trump also expressed hope that other countries would follow suit and resume air links with Lebanon. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam welcomed the move, calling it a great opportunity to strengthen travel and relations between the two countries and to support the Lebanese economy.
The direct air link was severed in 1985 when the United States banned Lebanon's national carrier, Middle East Airlines, from operating on its territory after Hezbollah members hijacked two Trans World Airlines planes at Beirut airport. Currently, Americans traveling to Lebanon must transit through hubs such as Istanbul, Doha, or Dubai.
The announcement came despite a travel advisory issued by the U.S. Embassy in Beirut last week urging American citizens to avoid travel to Lebanon due to hostilities with Israel. Trump hosted Aoun to advance peace negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, which do not maintain diplomatic relations. On June 26, the two countries signed the Trilateral Framework in Washington, a U.S.-sponsored agreement to establish pilot zones in southern Lebanon where Israeli forces would gradually withdraw and hand control to the Lebanese army. Israel continues strikes against Hezbollah, which opposes the talks.
