President Donald Trump has announced that he is directing his administration to lift the long-standing ban on direct commercial flights between the United States and Lebanon, a restriction that has been in place since 1985.
The ban was originally imposed after the infamous hijacking of TWA Flight 847 by Hezbollah militants, a 17-day hostage crisis that resulted in the death of a U.S. Navy diver and reshaped U.S. aviation security policy for decades.
Speaking after meeting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Trump said he wants Americans to once again be able to travel directly to Lebanon, calling it “this beautiful land” and expressing hope that other countries will follow the same path.
The FAA confirmed it will begin working with airlines and other U.S. agencies to implement the president’s directive, although no timeline has been announced and airlines have yet to reveal whether they will launch direct Beirut services.
The decision comes amid a complex geopolitical backdrop. While Washington continues efforts to broker peace between Lebanon and Israel, Hezbollah remains opposed to the U.S.-backed disarmament process, and tensions linked to the broader Iran conflict continue to create uncertainty across the region.
If implemented, the move would mark the return of nonstop U.S.-Lebanon commercial air service for the first time in more than four decades, reopening a route that has remained closed since one of aviation’s most significant hijacking incidents.
