Caution advised

Is it safe to fly to Beirut?

BEY · OLBA · Beirut FIR (OLBB) · Last updated: May 2026

TL;DR

Use caution. Beirut–Rafic Hariri International (OLBA / BEY) operates with sustained elevated airspace risk. Multiple authorities have issued advisories spanning Lebanon and adjacent eastern Mediterranean airspace at various points since 2023. GPS spoofing is regularly reported in the region. Carrier schedules have been volatile — multiple Western airlines have suspended and resumed Beirut service. If travelling, check current carrier schedule day-of-booking and your country's foreign-ministry advisory.

Hub status

Elevated

Hub FIR

OLBB

GPS spoofing

Reported

Schedule volatility

High

Routes & FIRs crossed

Most arrivals to OLBA route over the Mediterranean from Cyprus to avoid overflight of conflict-adjacent FIRs.

Route	Time	Typical FIRs crossed
CDG → BEY	~4.5h	LFFF · LIBB · LGGG · LCCC · OLBB
FRA → BEY	~4h	EDGG · LIBB · LGGG · LCCC · OLBB
DXB → BEY	~4h	OMAE · OEJN · OJAC · OLBB

Current airspace status

!
Hub OLBB (Beirut FIR): Sustained elevated risk. Operations continue but conditions can change with little notice. Lebanon detail →
!
Adjacent Israeli airspace (LLLL): EASA CZIB active for the broader Levant region. Tel Aviv assessment →
!
Cyprus (LCCC): Approach FIR. GPS spoofing reported on eastern Mediterranean approaches.

Recent observations

SUSTAINED 2023–2026

Multiple periods of carrier suspension

Western carriers including Lufthansa Group, Air France-KLM, IAG carriers, and US majors have suspended OLBA service at various points since late 2023. Some have resumed and re-suspended multiple times. Schedule volatility is materially higher than for typical international hubs.
2024–2026

GPS spoofing reports for OLBB approaches

Pilots regularly file EVAIR reports of degraded GPS reception and spoofing events on approaches to OLBA from the south-east. Most aircraft operating Beirut routes are equipped with multi-constellation GNSS. Procedural workarounds (INS-only navigation segments) are used.

Airlines flying to Beirut

Middle East Airlines (ME) — National flag carrier, hub at OLBA.

European carriers — Lufthansa Group, Air France, BA: schedules variable. Confirm day-of-booking.

Gulf carriers (EK, QR, EY) — Daily hub connections.

Turkish Airlines (TK) — Frequent IST-BEY service.

What to know before booking

Confirm carrier schedule day-of-booking. Cancellations and route suspensions have been frequent.
Travel insurance: read war-risk and conflict-zone exclusions carefully. Many standard policies exclude coverage during active conflict.
Government advisories: several countries have issued "reconsider non-essential travel" or stronger advisories at various points since 2023.
Refundability: book with flexible fares if possible.

When to be concerned

!!
Multiple major carriers announcing simultaneous suspensions. Strongest signal of conditions degrading.
!!
Government advisory upgraded. Often correlates with insurance and carrier decisions.

How we measure

Continuous synthesis from public NOTAMs, EASA Conflict Zone Information Bulletins, FAA SFARs, ADS-B telemetry, conflict-event databases, and aviation industry advisories.

Full methodology: flysafe.zone/methodology/

For airlines, OTAs, insurance underwriters

Airspace risk indices for OLBB and 424 other FIRs available via the FlySafe API.

Request sandbox API key →