Ottawa secures more flights out of Lebanon as some Canadians face delays – National [Video]

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 …