Turkish Airlines, Pegasus Suspend Lebanon Flights Amid Rising Security Risks

Turkey‘s national carrier, Turkish Airlines, along with budget airline Pegasus, have suspended their flights to and from Lebanon, citing escalating security risks, local media sources reported on Tuesday.

The flight cancellations were triggered by Israel’s ongoing airstrikes on Lebanon, specifically impacting services scheduled for Wednesday to and from Beirut, according to the Turkish daily *Haberturk*. As of now, tickets for Wednesday flights from Istanbul to Beirut are unavailable on the Turkish Airlines website, though Thursday bookings remain open.

Both Turkish Airlines and Pegasus had already scaled back their operations to daytime flights due to the heightened conflict in the region, prioritizing safety for passengers and staff.

In a related move, Pegasus Airlines recently implemented a strict policy banning pagers and radio devices on flights to and from Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport. This applies to all personal belongings, including cabin and cargo luggage. “Any such items found will be confiscated by airport security,” Pegasus announced on its website last Friday.

This regulation follows a series of devastating pager-triggered explosions in Lebanon last week, which claimed over 30 lives and left thousands injured. In the aftermath of these attacks, the Israeli government declared that the conflict with Hezbollah has entered a “new phase.”