Life returns to Beirut airport

Carriers are gradually emerging from the bunkers in the Lebanese capital Beirut after the introduction of a ceasefire that halted hostilities between neighbouring Israel and Lebanese resistance fighters Hezbollah and the lifting of a military blockade.
Home carrier Middle East Airlines (MEA) has been gradually reintroducing services from Beirut and the carrier says its entire fleet has now been repatriated to Beirut from the Syrian capital Damascus, where  MEA operations were based during the conflict.
British Airways franchise partner BMed and Qatar Airways have both restarted commercial flights to Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport following approval from the Lebanese authorities.
Etihad Airways has resumed its four-times weekly Abu Dhabi-Beirut service, alongside the daily service by low-cost carrier Air Arabia from Sharjah.
German flag-carrier Lufthansa has restarted its five-times weekly services from Frankfurt, and Gulf Air and Emirates have also returned to the Lebanese capital.
Emirates will initially operate three-times weekly from Dubai while Gulf Air's service will be daily.
Air France has resumed service at four-times weekly flights at first, three less than before the start of the hostilities. "Demand will determine whether we go back to those levels. But the first flight was nearly full," says Air France. The French flag carrier is also taking over services previously operated by merger partner KLM.
The airport was severely damaged during fighting, with runways and taxiways sustaining bomb damage that forced airlines to withdraw. The terminal buildings, however, were largely undamaged and it is back to business as usual for the airport's shops. This will doubtless come as a huge relief to the salespeople, who for a while have been outnumbering the customers.