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Lebanon is set to welcome the return of most Arab and international flights by mid-December after they were halted by , which disrupted air travel and led to the suspension of all flights except those operated by Lebanon's own Middle East Airlines.

Caretaker Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh announced on 4 December he had approved the resumption of airline operations to and from Beirut's international airport.

"Most Arab and foreign airlines should be back to normal operations by mid-December," he said, adding that it aligned with Christmas and New Year travel demand.

Hamieh also said that Lebanon's ports had operated throughout the conflict and continued to do so.

He said his ministry was working to restore damaged roads to ensure they were clear and operational, especially those connecting key southern cities and those in Baalbek and the Bekaa Valley.

Hamieh also said that northern border crossings with Syria were now accessible, but several connecting bridges were destroyed.

Israel as well as the al-Hawz and Joubanieh bridges three days after a ceasefire came into effect on 27 November.

"The Masnaa crossing is now accessible, while the there remains some challenges in rebuilding some of the Syrian border bridges destroyed by Israeli bombings," the minister said, adding that "financial resources were available to repair them but the process will take some time."Ìý

The resumption of flights marks a crucial step in Lebanon's recovery efforts, restoring some normalcy ahead of the holiday season, with some carriers acting early to capture demand from the Lebanese diaspora while others opt to wait until the holidays have passed.

Here are the airlines that have resumed services to and from Lebanon:

Royal Jordanian: The first airline to resume flights between Amman and Beirut has been operating one daily flight since 1 December.

Turkish Airlines:ÌýOriginally scheduled to resume flights on 30Ìý November, the first Istanbul-Beirut flight was delayed until 3 December.

Ethiopian Airlines:ÌýConfirmed the resumption of flights between Beirut and Addis Ababa from 8 December.

Qatar Airways:ÌýScheduled to restart operations on 9 December, starting with one daily round-trip flight.

EgyptAir: Tentatively planning to resume Cairo-Beirut flights on 17 December, though formal confirmation was still pending.

Iraqi Airways: Intends to gradually restore flights from Iraqi cities such as Baghdad, Najaf, Sulaymaniyah, and Erbil to Beirut starting 8 December, but has yet to officially announce.

Emirates: Expected to restart flights on 9 December, despite earlier announcements indicating a suspension until 1 January 2025.

Etihad Airways: Considering resuming flights from 18 December.

Air France: Announced on 2 December that its Paris-Charles de Gaulle to Beirut flights would remain suspended until 5 January 2025, citing "security concerns".

Lufthansa Group: Including Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, and Eurowings. They are unlikely to return to Lebanon before early March 2025.