Lebanon launches rehabilitation work on its second airport – i24NEWS

Lebanon officially launched renovation work on Saturday at René-Moawad airport in Qlayaat, in the north of the country, with the aim of transforming it into the country’s second international airport by the end of the year. This initiative comes as Lebanon faces a persistent conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which regularly puts Beirut international airport under pressure.

Located in Akkar province, near the Syrian border, Qlayaat airport has been used for decades as a military base by the Lebanese army. The Minister of Transport, Fayez Rasamny, welcomed a project awaited for more than half a century. “Today we are moving from promises to execution,” he declared during the inaugural ceremony.

The work is due to start next week and last at least three months. A pilot phase is planned before full commissioning in November 2026. Initially, the airport will serve Mersin, Istanbul and Dubai in particular, before a gradual extension to Riyadh, Cairo and Athens.

According to the project promoters, the new infrastructure will be able to accommodate around 114,000 passengers in its first year of operation, a figure which could exceed 600,000 annual travelers within four years.

Beyond the economic aspect, the project has a strategic dimension. Lebanon’s only international airport is located in the southern suburbs of Beirut, near the Hezbollah stronghold. For several years, Israel has accused the Shiite organization of using airport infrastructure for the transfer of weapons and funds, which Beirut firmly denies.

The creation of a second airport also aims to stimulate the economy of the Akkar region, one of the poorest in Lebanon, where unemployment remains particularly high.

Originally built by the French army in the 1930s, René-Moawad airport had already been used for civilian flights before being damaged during the war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006.