BEIRUT: Saudi Arabia’s decision to waive COVID-19 restrictions for passengers traveling from Lebanon will give a substantial boost to air traffic between Beirut, Riyadh and Jeddah, an industry leader said on Friday.
Jean Abboud, head of the Syndicate of Tourism and Travel Agencies, told Arab News that airlines have started programming their flights from Beirut to Riyadh and Jeddah. He said the move has brought relief to most of the people.
Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Lebanon, Walid al-Bukhari, tweeted about the decision on Thursday evening, as the Kingdom took precautionary measures during the Hajj season.
Lebanon’s Acting Tourism Minister Walid Nasser thanked the Saudi leadership for allowing people to fly directly from Lebanon without requiring people to spend 14 days outside the country before entering Saudi Arabia.
Nasser said the Kingdom has always stood with Lebanon and Lebanon, who make decisions “in the interest of our country”.
Abboud said the previous measures had prevented about 60 percent of Lebanese living and working in Saudi Arabia from returning directly from Beirut.
“Therefore they became more reluctant to move to Lebanon. The Lebanese community in the Kingdom is quite large, and Lebanese often fly to Beirut, sometimes every weekend. However, they have to spend 14 days in another country before returning to Saudi Arabia. The condition of staying till proved to be a colossal waste of time and money.
“The airlines are adjusting their flights to the Kingdom in light of the decision, especially since a large number of Lebanese are currently spending their summer vacation in Lebanon and wish to return via a direct flight to Saudi Arabia.”
MP Bilal al-Hashimi thanked Saudi Arabia for its decision.
He said: “We are happy to return to a kingdom of goodness, humanity, love and giving, which has always been an example for the Arab brotherhood. We all yearn for more decisions that we use from a state that Never Lebanon but it has always provided help and support, and it always will be, especially in these virtuous days.”
The chairman of the Lebanese Economic Organisation, Mohamed Choukair, described the Saudi decision as an important step towards rebuilding bilateral ties, which are a pillar for Lebanon’s balance and recovery.
The head of the Lebanon-Gulf Business Councils, Samir al-Khatib, said: “We will discuss this issue with the relevant authorities in the Kingdom, in particular with the Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, given the ease of movement between Lebanon, the proximity of and Saudi Arabia constitutes an essential foundation for maintaining the ties of brotherhood, friendship and love between two siblings.
“This decision is very important in proving the state’s keenness on the best relations between the two fraternal peoples and the two fraternal countries. I hope we get to hear more good news soon.”
In April, the foreign ministries of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait announced the withdrawal of their ambassadors to Lebanon after a diplomatic and economic dispute caused by a former information minister’s statements about the war in Yemen.
At the time, the Saudi Foreign Ministry stressed the importance of Lebanon returning to its Arab origins.
It said Bukhari’s return to Beirut was “in response to calls and appeals from liberal national political forces in Lebanon, and in confirmation of the statement of the Lebanese prime minister, to take necessary and necessary measures to enhance cooperation with the government of Lebanon.” Empire.” The commitment was reaffirmed to stop all political, military and security activities affecting the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the Kingdom and GCC countries.
Passenger traffic through Beirut Rafik Hariri International Airport is growing significantly, reaching approximately 30,000 passengers per day, with over 19,000 arrivals, mostly Lebanese people living and working in the GCC, Europe, Canada, the Americas and Africa. are doing.
According to Fadi Al-Hasan, the airport’s director general of civil aviation, passenger traffic for the first half of 2022 reached 2,568,797, compared to 1,444,502 passengers in 2021, an increase of 77.83 percent and an increase of 113 percent in the same period in 2020. . ,
The total number of flights by national, Arab and foreign airlines during the first half of 2022 was 22,501, an increase of 49.67 percent compared to 15,033 flights in the first half of 2021.
The number of flights arriving in Lebanon increased by 49.68 percent to 11,253. Flights departing from Lebanon rose 49.67 percent to 11,248.
The total number of passengers passing through Beirut Rafik Hariri International Airport reached 580,787 in June, an increase of 47.32 percent compared to 394,220 passengers in June 2021.
Passenger numbers in the first week of July increased by 44.91 per cent to 183,352 compared to the same period in 2021.