airport situation

Lebanon: General strike cancels eight flights at Rafik Hariri International airport

Posted: 23-01-2007 , 10:57 GMT

Eight flights were cancelled on Tuesday at Rafik Hariri International airport as roads were blocked by Hizbullah-led opposistion followers during street protests, an airport source told AFP. "Eight flights from Cairo, Muscat, France, Kuwait, Bahrain, Frankfurt and Qatar have been cancelled," the source was quoted as saying. "Flights are still arriving and passengers from two flights from Dubai and Amman are still in the airport. They cannot leave because the road is closed." Other aviation officials said the airport was operating as normal, albeit with fewer staff. The director general of Civil Aviation, Hamdi Shawq, told Al-Arabiya that the airport was working, but passengers were having difficulty getting to and from it. Five flights arrived at the airport, six others left. The LBCI said around twelve barriers, including sands and burning tires, had cut roads to the airport. Only two flights left early in the morning with passengers. © 2007 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)