Ottawa secures more flights out of Lebanon as some Canadians face delays
Global News
Ottawa has yet to order a military evacuation of Canadian citizens from Lebanon but is preparing logistics, as Canadians express frustration with government-assisted departures.
The federal government has reserved about 900 additional seats on commercial flights out of Lebanon through Sunday to get Canadian citizens out of the country, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says.
“I want to make sure that you are brought to safety, and please take the seat,” Joly told reporters in Paris on the sidelines of the Francophonie summit., speaking directly to Canadians in Lebanon.
“At this point, not all seats are being taken.”
About 650 seats were reserved for Canadian citizens on two flights from Beirut to Istanbul on Thursday, but Global Affairs Canada said those flights left with only 275 passengers in total — including nationals from other countries such as the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and Denmark.
More than 340 Canadians left on government-reserved flights earlier this week.
Nearly 900 more reserved seats are spread out across one flight per day between Friday and Sunday, Joly said.
The government is offering the seats to Canadians in Lebanon who have filled out an intake form requesting departure information. More than 5,000 have filled out that form, Global Affairs Canada said Thursday, and 2,300 of those have received offers of seats.
Canada has been urging citizens and permanent residents to leave Lebanon by commercial means as the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalates.
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