beirut international airport

Salam: Airport Road Is Lebanon’s First Impression, Rehabilitation Begins Soon

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam launched the airport road rehabilitation project on Wednesday, describing the road as “the first impression visitors get upon arriving in Lebanon.” He also praised Middle East Airlines (MEA), saying, “MEA carries Lebanon’s beautiful image abroad and is as important as our embassies. It is a living proof of ...

LAF Receives French Military Equipment

The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) announced on Tuesday the arrival of a new shipment of military equipment donated by France, underscoring continued international backing for Lebanon’s army amid ongoing economic hardship and security threats. In an official statement, the LAF confirmed that a French military aircraft landed at Beirut–Rafic ...

Rasamny Aims to Strengthen Lebanon’s Key Infrastructure

In an interview with Al-Anbaa newspaper, Minister of Public Works and Transport Fayez Rasamny affirmed that the security of Beirut International Airport (BIA) is a national priority, emphasizing that all current security measures are managed exclusively by the competent Lebanese authorities. He stated that this commitment is reflected in ...

Banners Proclaiming 'A New Era for Lebanon' Burned Just Hours After Installation 

Barely installed, already in flames. The banners bearing the slogan “A New Era for Lebanon,” unveiled on Thursday along the road leading to Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport, survived only a few hours. By Friday morning, photos circulating on social media showed the signs reduced to ashes—targets of a deliberate act of ...

Passenger Traffic at Beirut Airport Declines Slightly in Q1 2025, But Arrivals Rise

Passenger traffic at Beirut International Airport (BIA) saw a slight decrease in the first quarter of 2025, with a total of 1,254,550 passengers, representing a 1.42% drop compared to the same period in 2024, when the airport recorded 1,272,625 travelers. However, there was a positive trend in arrivals, which increased compared to last year. The ...

Beirut International Airport Fully Secured, Says Minister of Public Works

Lebanon’s Minister of Public Works and Transport, Fayez Rasamny, has stated that Beirut International Airport remains fully secure. In an interview with Al-Hadath media, Rasamny underscored the Lebanese government’s commitment to shielding the airport from political and security-related disruptions, ensuring its continuous and smooth ...

The Airport Incident and UNIFIL Assault: A Growing Number of Arrests

As promised by President Joseph Aoun, the attack on a UNIFIL patrol on the airport road and the burning of one of its vehicles "will not go unpunished." Security and judicial investigations have been launched, and seven individuals have been detained in connection with the incident. Some of the detainees also assaulted Lebanese Army officers and ...

Decline in Commercial Activity According to Beirut Traders Association – Fransabank Index

The Beirut Traders Association – Fransabank Retail Trade Index for the fourth quarter of 2024 (Q4-2024) recorded a value of 31.37, indicating a modest recovery in commercial activity, accompanied by cautious optimism about short-term improvements. In contrast, the index for the third quarter of 2024 had reached 35.06, reflecting a continued ...

Final Farewell to Nasrallah and Safieddine: A Funeral Amid High Tensions and Rehashed Messages

Under a sky crisscrossed by Israeli military aircraft and Lebanese Army helicopters, the funeral of former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and former head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council Hashem Safieddine took place, nearly five months after their deaths in Israeli airstrikes. Tens of thousands of people poured into the capital to ...

BIA Held Hostage: Sunday Flights to Be Suspended

Lebanon's sole airport will suspend all flights on Sunday, February 23, from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM during the funeral of Hezbollah’s former Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah, according to a statement from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation at Beirut International Airport (BIA). Beirut’s airport has served not only as a transit hub for ...

Tourism Chief Warns Against Instability

The President of the Federation of Tourist Unions and the Hoteliers’ Union, Pierre Achkar, has raised concerns over recent street violence and road blockades, particularly those disrupting access to Beirut’s International Airport (BIA). He cautioned that such unrest could jeopardize the tourism sector’s recent momentum, which had ...

Mullahs and Company, Hands Off the Airport!

In 1973, Henry Kissinger refused to land at Beirut International Airport because it was under the control of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). He also avoided traveling by road to the airport for the same reason. At the time, President Sleiman Frangieh welcomed him instead at the Rayak military airport — an implicit admission that ...