Middle East Airlines announced that in light of the reopening of Rafik Hariri International Airport and the Lebanese Airspace as of 01 July 2020, MEA will gradually resume its operations applying precautionary measures to ensure the safety of our passengers.
Entry into Lebanon is permitted in accordance with the rules and regulations applied by the Lebanese General Security prior to the closure of the airport, for: Lebanese nationals, Arab and foreign nationals, diplomats and foreign workers (domestic assistance) accompanied by the sponsor and Palestinians with a "Palestinian refugee travel document" issued by the Lebanese authorities. Syrians connecting by surface to Syria are not allowed due to land border closure.
Passengers are divided into two categories:
Passengers from countries performing PCR test
Middle East: Amman- Baghdad- Bassra- Najaf- Cairo- Erbil
Gulf: Abu Dhabi-Dammam- Dubai- Jeddah- Medina- Riyadh
Europe: Athens-Brussels-Frankfurt- Geneva- Istanbul -Larnaca- London- Paris
Africa: Accra-Lagos
Passengers from countries not performing PCR test
Gulf: Doha – Kuwait
Europe: Copenhagen - Yerevan – Milano – Rome
Africa: Abidjan
Procedures for passengers from countries performing PCR test
Passengers arriving to Lebanon from the countries that perform PCR tests shall undergo such a test at certified lab by local authorities latest 96 hours or D-4 prior to departure of their trip and show the result at check-in before proceeding to immigration. Passenger with positive test result will not be allowed to board the plane. Upon arrival at RHIA another PCR test will be done to those passengers and the cost of the test will be borne by the airline. The result of that test will be advised to passenger within 24 hrs.
Exemptions:
- Passengers who traveled out of Lebanon and are returning within one week are exempted from doing PCR tests at their departure station.
- Connecting passengers are allowed to board a flight from PCR countries without conducting a PCR test before departure.
Procedures for passengers from countries not performing PCR test
Passengers arriving from countries that do not perform PCR tests, will undergo a first PCR test upon arrival at RHIA and the cost of the test will be borne by the airline. The passenger will have to take a second test after 72 hours,on their own expense, at accredited laboratories as advised by Health authorities on the passenger own cost.
Passengers with positive results must follow the directives of the Ministry of Public Health until they recover according to the approved medical protocol.
All Passengers
- Any passenger who shows symptoms of illness including covid-19, will not be allowed to board the aircraft.
- All passengers traveling to Lebanon must fill health declaration form online before departure. (link: https://arcg.is/0GaDnG)
- Passengers travelling to Lebanon need to possess an insurance policy that is valid for the duration of their stay in Lebanon, covering all costs of treatment for Coronavirus on Lebanese Territory.
- Passengers shall follow the MoPH directives.
Hand luggage:
Economy class passengers are not allowed to carry their hand luggage onboard, they shall be checked in for free provided it does not exceed 10kg.
Exemptions: limited items such as women handbag, laptop, valuables, electronics and medication.
Business class passengers are allowed to take their cabin baggage with them into the aircraft provided they are tagged with a cabin baggage label.
Face masks & hand sanitizers
All passengers must bring with them:
- Enough face masks that are mandatory to wear at airport and during the entire flight and must be replaced every four hours. Passenger having medical reasons, infants and children under age of 6 years are exempted from wearing a mask.
- Hand sanitizers for their own use.
Passengers are responsible for complying with all laws, regulations, travel requirements including entry/exit rules from countries flown from or to.
Source: Middle East Airlines