Cyprus Airways was to resume its daily flight to Beirut on Friday, which had been suspended since the Israeli offensive in Lebanon started on July 12.

The company made the announcement in a press release, one day after Israel lifted its air blockade of Lebanon Thursday.

The first 45-minute flight was scheduled to take off from Larnaca, Cyprus at 10:00 p.m. local time (1900 GMT).

"Cyprus Airways is among the first airlines to carry out flights since a ceasefire agreement was achieved in Lebanon," the press release said.

In a symbolic act signaling the resumption of normal air traffic, a commercial flight operated by Lebanon's national carrier Middle East Airlines circled over downtown Beirut three times at 6:04 p.m. Thursday (1504 GMT), four minutes after the air siege ended.

The plane, coming from Paris with 151 passengers aboard, then landed at Beirut airport. It was followed by a Kuwait Airways plane.

Before Israel's air blockade was lifted, Qatar Airways flew a passenger plane to Beirut this Monday, becoming the first commercial airline to have a daily direct flight to Beirut since the commencement of the Israeli war on Lebanon.

(Xinhua News Agency September 11, 2006)