📰 16 sources 28 articles · 10 Oct 2026, 06:22 → 7 days ago

Trump cancels air restrictions with Lebanon, paving the way for direct flights

On 30 September 2026 U.S. President Donald Trump signed presidential Decision No. 2026-25, published in the U.S. Federal Register on 5 October, cancelling four decisions issued in 1985, 1992, 1998 and 2007 that formed the basis of U.S. restrictions on air transport with Lebanon, paving the way for direct flights between the two countries. The decision was officially announced on 10 October 2026 and welcomed by Lebanon's embassy in Washington, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and the U.S. embassy in Beirut. No date, airline or route has been set.

📍 Where things stand: The decision is in force and has been welcomed officially in Lebanon and the United States, but direct flights have not resumed and no date is set, with Beirut–New York mentioned as the likely first route and legal, security and operational steps still pending before a first flight.

⏱️ Timeline

10 Oct 2026, 06:22 It was officially announced that U.S. President Donald Trump cancelled four presidential decisions that formed the basis of U.S. restrictions on air transport with Lebanon, under Decision No. 2026-25, and Lebanon's embassy in Washington welcomed the step. Al-Markazia noted the decision does not mean flights start automatically and specifies no airline, route or date.
10 Oct 2026, 07:05 The decision, signed by Trump on 30 September 2026 and published in the U.S. Federal Register on 5 October, fully cancelled the decisions issued in 1985, 1992, 1998 and 2007, and directed the Secretary of Transportation to implement it immediately.
10 Oct 2026, 08:45 'Asharq' reported, citing its own information, that the Beirut–New York line is the first route expected to resume.
10 Oct 2026, 08:49 Lebanese President Joseph Aoun welcomed Trump's decision, saying it reflects confidence in the Lebanese state's measures to ensure civil aviation safety and the security of Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, and thanked Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
10 Oct 2026, 10:41 MP Fouad Makhzoumi wrote on X thanking U.S. President Donald Trump for lifting the restrictions on air transport with Lebanon and praising President Joseph Aoun's efforts, saying the decision opens the door to a stronger Lebanese-American partnership and wider economic opportunities, and calling for disarming Hezbollah, restricting arms to the state and carrying out financial and institutional reforms with clear deadlines and accountability.
11 Oct 2026, 09:25 The U.S. embassy in Beirut welcomed the path led by U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to operate direct flights between Lebanon and the United States, describing it as a 'long-awaited Lebanese dream', saying it strengthens trust between the two countries, brings families closer, supports ties with the Lebanese-American community and makes it easier for U.S. companies to explore opportunities.
11 Oct 2026, 11:47 'An-Nahar' recalled that the U.S. restrictions on air transport with Lebanon date back to the hijacking of a TWA plane in Beirut in 1985, which led Washington to ban direct flights, noting the step paves the way for their return but remains tied to legal, security and operational procedures before a first flight date is set.

Timeline written by AI from the sources below; updated as new reports arrive.

⚠️ Sources disagree

Name of the Lebanese president

President Joseph Aoun according to annahar.com
President Michel Aoun according to Lebanon Debate

Figures as each outlet reported them at the time. We do not judge which is correct; numbers often change as events develop.

How the sources covered it

The main difference between the coverage lay in the angle: some sources led with the legal details of the decision, its signing and publication dates and the specific years of the cancelled decisions; others focused on President Aoun's welcome and his description of the decision as a 'confidence indicator' and on Beirut airport security; while other coverage linked the decision to U.S. mediation between Israel and Lebanon and to the 1985 TWA hijacking. None of the coverage announced a date for a first flight.

المركزية Led with the cancellation of the four decisions and linked it to meetings between Trump and President Aoun and between Nawaf Salam and Marco Rubio, explicitly noting the decision does not mean flights start automatically and specifies no airline, route or date.
annahar.com Its coverage ranged from the official announcement, Aoun's welcome and the legal details of signing and publication dates, to a later piece on the history of the ban since the 1985 TWA hijacking and the legal, security and operational steps remaining before a first flight date is set.
الشرق للأخبار Opened with the lifting of decades-old restrictions on flights between Lebanon and the United States, reported on its own information that Beirut–New York would be the first route expected to resume, and cited the Lebanese embassy's welcome in Washington.
Anadolu Ajansı Focused on President Joseph Aoun's welcome and his description of the decision as a 'confidence indicator' in Lebanon's measures to ensure civil aviation safety and the security of Rafic Hariri International Airport, while noting the cancellation of four decisions issued between 1985 and 2007.
i24NEWS Placed the decision in the context of diplomatic rapprochement and U.S. mediation in Israel–Lebanon talks, noting the decision lifts a ban in place since 1985 and that no timetable was announced for resuming flights.
مونت كارلو الدولية Tied the decision to more than 40 years since the hijacking of an American plane, cited the cancellation of four decisions issued between 1985 and 2007, and reported the Lebanese embassy's welcome describing the step as a first important one.

AI comparison of what each outlet emphasized. It describes emphasis, not accuracy.

المركزيةtayyar.organnahar.comالشرق للأخبارLebanon DebateLBCI LebanonAl AkhbarالعربيةMTV LebanonAnadolu Ajansıالحدثجريدة الجريدة الكويتيةi24NEWSمونت كارلو الدوليةLebanon ONالسياسة

Trump cancels air restrictions with Lebanon, paving the way for direct flights

⏱️ Timeline

⚠️ Sources disagree

How the sources covered it

📰 All coverage