26 Egyptians stranded in Beirut due to Qatar airspace ban

CAIRO – 9 June 2017: 26 Egyptian citizens working in Qatar arrived at Cairo International Airport from the Lebanese capital Beirut on Thursday following Egypt’s severance of diplomatic ties with the Gulf nation earlier this week.

The airspace ban imposed by Egypt on flights departing from Qatar prevents direct air travel between the two countries, resulting in an indirect route through Beirut being taken.

A source at Cairo International Airport told Egypt Today that the Egyptian passengers had been stranded in Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport since Tuesday until their departure on Flight 306 on Middle East Airlines, following the mediation of the Egyptian ambassador in Lebanon Nazih al-Najjari.

64 Qataris left Cairo on Wednesday, transiting through three other Arab countries before arriving in Doha.

Egyptian citizens returning from Qatar have been received by a delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to accelerate their entry procedures upon arrival at Cairo International Airport.

The travel ban is a consequence of the recent decision to cut diplomatic ties with Qatar by Egypt and 11 other states as a result of Qatar’s support for terrorist groups across the Middle East.