The 4th stage of the evacuation of Lebanese expatriates will take place over the course of nine days, between June 11th and June 19th inclusive, according to the Middle East Airlines (MEA).
The evacuation will take place from several cities that are conducting PCR tests as well as some others that are incapable of conducting the test, and is restricted to individuals who meet any of the following descriptions:
- Lebanese nationals and their families, husband, wife, and children.
- Children from a Lebanese mother – provided that the documents that prove this are presented before checking in and boarding.
- Palestinian refugees in Lebanon who hold Lebanese documents, in addition to Arab nationals and foreigners with valid residences in Lebanon.
- House helpers sponsored by Lebanese abroad or have Lebanese residence permits that have expired abroad after 17 October 2019, provided they are accompanied by their sponsors.
Before boarding the flights, all passengers must confirm the conditions of their entry into the Lebanese Republic.
The conditions are the same as those of the previous evacuation stage; they are presented at the end of this article.
Here are the departure dates and cities of the upcoming evacuation flights, all of which destined for Beirut:
Thursday, June 11th: Istanbul, Riyadh, Dubai, and London.
Saturday, June 13th: Jeddah, Frankfurt, and Paris.
Monday, June 15th: Amman, Algiers (no PCR), Paris (no PCR), and Lagos.
Wednesday, June 17th: Riyadh, Dubai, London (no PCR), and Moscow.
Friday, June 19th: Doha (no PCR), Madrid (Caracas) (no PCR), and Accra.
MEA’s conditions to board the evacuation flights:
- Passengers must have tested negative for COVID-19.
- Only PCR tests conducted within 3 days of the trip, and in labs recognized by the Lebanese embassy or the hosting countries are acceptable.
- The PCR examination cannot be replaced by a medical report.
- The price of round trip travel tickets on these evacuation trips is not refundable unless a positive PCR test result is established. In such cases, the MEA offices must be informed and the reservation canceled at least one day before the flight date in order to redeem the ticket.
- Lebanese travelers who wish to return can book and purchase their tickets through the MEA website or at MEA offices in the country of departure or through the MEA Call Center 961-1-626999
- It is advisable to book and buy tickets before the deadline for conducting the PCR Test.
The MEA notes that “it is not possible to book and travel on the MEA evacuation flights departing from Beirut to London, Paris, Frankfurt, and Madrid except for passengers complying with all regulations of the country of transit or final destination.”
Additionally, passengers will be seated side by side on aircraft departing from countries conducting PCR tests and ticket prices have been adjusted to reflect this, according to the airline company.
Get the latest news and updates about the coronavirus outbreak in Lebanon along with a live monitor of cases in Lebanon as well as resources and information to help you guide the outbreak on our dedicated coronavirus page.