Dubai to Lebanon: 30 years of Emirates flights to Beirut

Since 1991, the Dubai airline has carried more than six million passengers on 35,000-plus flights to the Lebanese capital

Emirates first flew to Beirut in 1991. Courtesy Emirates

Emirates Airline is celebrating three decades of flying between Dubai and Lebanon.

Thirty years after Emirates first flew from Dubai to Beirut, the airline continues to fly between the two destinations and now operates 16 weekly flights to and from Lebanon.

The first Emirates flight to Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport took to the skies on July 15, 1991.

That initial journey was serviced by a Boeing 727 narrow-body jet registration number A6-EMA. This type of jet garnered a reputation for being one of the noisiest passenger aircraft, and is no longer used for commercial flights.

Emirates, however, continues to fly to Lebanon and has increased operations from an initial three per week back in the '90s to 16 flights per week today, despite the Covid-19 pandemic hampering travel demand.

Since operating its first flight, the Dubai airline has flown more than 35,000 flights to and from Lebanon, and more than six million passengers have travelled with Emirates to the Lebanese capital.

“I still remember the first day at the airport, I recall my heart beating louder than the engines as the aircraft parked and we welcomed our first passengers,” said Raghida Zarkout, Emirates airport services officer in Beirut, who was part of the launch team back in 1991.

Marguerite Keyrouz, deputy airport service manager in Beirut, said: “I distinctly remember the pride I felt wearing the Emirates uniform and the excitement for the adventure ahead, and being in awe of the power of the aircraft landing in our airport, all feelings I have until this day.”

To celebrate the occasion, Emirates is serving traditional Lebanese dishes on flights between Dubai and Beirut over the next few days. The celebratory menu includes lamb maklouba and barramundi sayadieh, as well as kunafa and baklava ashta for dessert, both adorned with the Lebanese flag.

Three years ago, Emirates marked another first in its relationship with Lebanon.

In March 2018, the airline flew its flagship double-decker superjumbo to Rafik Hariri International Airport. It was the first scheduled A380 to arrive in the Lebanese capital, and marked a historic moment for the airline and the airport.

Beirut Port blast

Last year, when Beirut was shattered by an explosion at its port on August 4, Emirates worked to provide cargo space to ship essential items to those in Lebanon affected by the blast.

The airline helped to move more than 12,000 donations from 140 countries and flew 16,000 kilograms of humanitarian cargo to Lebanon.