Lebanon’s Civil Aviation Authority reports that an Ethiopian Airlines plane landing at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport with “Tel Aviv” written on it.
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Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines (MEA) planes are parked on the tarmac of Beirut International Airport on March 19, 2020. (AFP)
The General Directorate of Civil Aviation in Lebanon stated that an Ethiopian Airlines plane, registered in Ethiopia under the number ET-AXK, landed at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport on Thursday with Tel Aviv written on it.
The statement explained that after the aircraft reached its assigned spot on the tarmac, airport security alerted the airport authorities about the words written in small letters on the plane’s body, barely visible from a distance.
After discussing the issue with the Ethiopian airline, it was explained that it was tradition to mention the name of the airport where the plane lands for the first time after purchase. Citing the authorities, the statement clarified that this was indeed the case with the aircraft, as the airline was unaware of this before the plane arrived at Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut.
The statement further mentions that Ethiopian Airlines was asked to remove the phrase from the aircraft’s body before departure from Beirut. Additionally, the airline was urged to take necessary precautions to ensure the removal of any logos associated with “Israel” from its aircraft before landing at Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut.
This happened amid heightened tensions between Lebanon and “Israel”. It is noteworthy that Lebanon considers “Israel” an enemy state and does not recognize it.
