Beirut International Airport

Hezbollah, Amal Supporters Stage Motorcycle Parades

Supporters of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement held motorcycle parades on Friday along the road leading to Beirut International Airport (BIA) and in the neighborhood of Mar Mikhael, only hours after the Cabinet endorsed the Lebanese Army’s plan to confine weapons to state institutions. Earlier in the day, the Lebanese Army reinforced its ...

The Lebanese Army Reinforces Presence Amid Hezbollah Support Rally

The Lebanese army intensified its presence on Thursday around the airport – a strategic location near the main access roads leading to the southern suburbs – and in southern Lebanon, following an internal directive that called for the “strict enforcement of the document issued on September 24, 2024, regarding raising the readiness rate to ...

Beirut International Airport Sees Strong Passenger Growth in August 2025

Beirut’s International Airport (BIA) recorded a sharp rise in activity in August, with passenger numbers rising by nearly 39 percent compared to the same month last year. Close to one million travelers (929,815) passed through the airport during the month, pushing the cumulative passenger count for the first eight months of 2025 to 4.8 million, ...

UNIFIL Exit: Organizing the Withdrawal of 10,000 Peacekeepers from Southern Lebanon

On August 28, the UN Security Council voted to end the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on December 31, 2026. After nearly half a century of presence in southern Lebanon, the 10,000 peacekeepers will be required to withdraw in 2027. The operation will be complex – logistically, militarily and diplomatically. How ...

Summer 2025: Lebanon Reclaims Its Suitcases… and Its Traffic Jams

Every summer in Lebanon carries a hint of uncertainty: a sunny getaway shadowed by geopolitical clouds. In 2025, the gamble partly paid off. While not quite reaching the golden era of 2018–2019, the season brought hope to a sector long on edge. Between July and August, Beirut welcomed more than 100 daily flights, with passenger numbers ranging ...

ISF Foils Captagon Smuggling Attempt at BIA

The Internal Security Forces (ISF) announced on Wednesday that officers at Beirut’s International Airport (BIA) arrested a woman on June 19 as she attempted to smuggle around 15 kilograms of Captagon pills hidden inside candy boxes. In a statement, the ISF revealed that the arrest was part of an ongoing security plan led by the Judicial Police ...

ISF Foils Cocaine Smuggling Attempt from Nigeria

The Internal Security Forces (ISF) announced Wednesday the seizure of 156 cocaine-filled capsules weighing 3.4 kilograms, with an estimated street value exceeding $500,000 once mixed with other substances. According to an ISF statement, the Central Anti-Narcotics Office uncovered an international network planning to smuggle the drugs from Nigeria ...

Power Outage Hits BIA, Civil Aviation Clarifies

Beirut International Airport (BIA) suffered a power outage this week that disrupted air-conditioning during one of the busiest periods of the year, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said Wednesday. According to the statement, the incident occurred amid a severe heatwave and record passenger traffic, with daily departures reaching ...

LAF Deploys After Motorcade Rallies in Beirut’s Southern Suburbs

Following the Lebanese government’s approval of the objectives outlined in the US paper to reinforce the ceasefire, and the withdrawal of the Shia Duo’s ministers from Thursday’s Cabinet session, videos circulated online showing supporters of the two parties parading on motorcycles and waving party flags in the Roueis area of Beirut’s ...

Beirut Airport Sees Surge in Passenger Traffic in July 2025

Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport experienced a significant increase in activity during July 2025, both in terms of passenger numbers and airline traffic to and from Lebanon. The most notable rise was in the number of incoming passengers, which jumped by over 15% compared to July 2024. A total of 873,095 passengers traveled through ...

1957: A Crash, Gold and Shadows of Mystery

This is the story of the Curtiss C-46 operated by Air Liban, which crashed off the coast of Beirut in 1957 with around 30 passengers on board. According to witness accounts and expert testimony, the aircraft was transporting a shipment of gold estimated between 400 and 450 kilograms, bound for Kuwait. While the crash itself raises questions, what ...

Lebanon Sees Modest Summer Travel Rebound

Lebanon's travel industry is experiencing a cautious recovery this summer, with Beirut International Airport (BIA) showing signs of revived activity since early July, according to Jean Abboud, president of the Lebanese Travel Agencies Association. Speaking on Friday, Abboud noted a noticeable uptick in both flight numbers and passenger traffic. ...