Greek airline Aegean Airlines suspends flights to Beirut after plane damage

An Aegean Airlines Airbus A320-200 taxis as it prepares to take off from Manchester Airport, Britain January 8, 2018. REUTERS/Phil Noble

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ATHENS, Jan 15 (Reuters) – (This story from January 15 corrects airport name to Rafik Hariri not Rania Hariri)

Greece’s largest carrier Aegean Airlines (AGNr.AT) announced on Saturday that it has suspended all flights to Beirut pending the results of an investigation into the cause of damage to one of its planes which flew to the Lebanese capital.

Ground crew at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport discovered external damage to the fuselage of a plane that took off from Athens on January 10, prompting the airline a day later to suspend all flights to the destination. and from Beirut, according to a statement from the company.

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He gave no further details of the damage found on the exterior of the aircraft.

Lebanon’s transport ministry dismissed what it said were comments on social media and in the media suggesting a bullet might be to blame.

Lebanese Transport and Public Works Minister Ali Hamie posted an email on Twitter, dated January 15, covering a technical assessment of the damage discovered under the cockpit. “After a thorough review, it has been determined that this was not the result of a bullet,” the email reads.

Αegean said he informed the Greek authorities and Beirut airport authorities and expects to provide an update on the resumption of flights to Beirut in the coming weeks.

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Reporting by Angeliki Kotantou and Edmund Blair; Editing by Helen Popper and Timothy Heritage

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