en.Wedoany.com Reported - U.S. President Trump announced on social media on the 21st that he has instructed the U.S. government to allow all American airlines to operate direct flights to Lebanon, thereby lifting a ban that has been in place for over 40 years.
Trump made the remarks after meeting with visiting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House on the same day. This marks the first formal meeting between Aoun and a U.S. president since he took office as Lebanon's president in January 2025, and the first visit to the White House by a Lebanese head of state since 2009.
Trump's decision to lift the direct flight ban signifies a major policy shift in aviation ties between the U.S. and Lebanon. According to U.S. media reports, it remains unclear whether major American airlines have plans to launch flights to Beirut.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed bilateral relations and regional affairs, with the issue of direct flights seen as a practical step to improve people-to-people and economic exchanges between the two countries. Aoun's visit to the White House itself holds symbolic significance, as it is the first visit by a Lebanese head of state in over a decade, and Trump's decision to lift the direct flight restriction adds substantive progress to the visit.
