RHIA Suspends 13 Flights Thursday in Solidarity with SCC Strike

Rafik Hariri International Airport announced on Tuesday that it will halt flights for four hours on Thursday, March 21, as an act of the employees' solidarity with the Syndicate Coordination Committee's strike.

A released statement by the airport's administration elaborated: “In concordance with the employees of the General Directorate of the Civil Aviation and of the Committee of Air Traffic Controllers' decision to support the SCC's strike, flights will be suspended between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm on Thursday.”

Exceptions to this decision will include Lebanese and foreign governmental planes, emergency cases and airplanes crossing Lebanese airspace, the statement noted.

"Thirteen scheduled arriving and departing flights will be affected by the strike.”

Head of Public Secondary School Education Teachers Association Hanna Gharib sought on Tuesday to mobilize the Lebanese people for a historic protest against the government on Thursday, saying the demonstration will be aimed at confronting strife and sectarian divisions.

“We will all be together on March 21 not just for the sake of the wage scale but for preserving national unity and civil peace,” Gharib said at a protest held near the Justice Ministry and Justice Palace in Beirut.

The SCC reiterated during the protest calls for referring the wage scale of the public sector -approved by the government last year -to parliament for vote.