Beirut airport stats show a sharp rebound in air traffic in early 2022

BEIRUT – The number of passengers at Beirut Rafik Hariri International Airport increased by 98.9 percent in the beginning of 2022, a surge largely credited to the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions and the reopening of borders.

Here’s what we know:

    • The first two months of the year saw a large number of travelers to Lebanon, with a total of 691,279 passengers, compared to 347,541 in the first two months of 2021, according to statistics shared by Beirut Rafik Hariri International Airport.

    • In comparison to previous years, the airport recorded 977,524 transiting passengers in 2020 and more than 1.13 million in 2019, prior to the ramping up of Lebanon’s financial and economic crises.

    • Lebanon registered 313,200 arrivals and 374,258 departures by the end of February, the rest being passengers in transit. The number of arrivals thus increased by 132.9 percent on an annual basis (134,471 passengers in February 2021), while that of departures increased by 82.5 percent (205,052 passengers in February 2021).

    • Aviation activity in the country witnessed a 57.8 percent year-on-year increase, with 6,743 take-offs and landings in January and February of this year, compared to a total of 4,274 take-offs and landings the year before. Lebanese carrier Middle East Airlines operated 2,526 flights, or 37.5 percent of air activity.

    • As for the transport of goods, a total of 3,896 tons were imported and unloaded through Beirut airport during this period, while 4,254 tons were exported, making a total of 8,150 tons compared to 9,944 in 2021.

    • COVID-19 restrictions have also been updated, with the Directorate General of Aviation recently announcing in a press release that “all passengers arriving in Lebanon [are] exempt from carrying out a PCR test at [Beirut airport] starting March 1.”

    • However, all passengers, with the exception of children under the age of 12, must present a negative PCR test carried out no later than 48 hours prior to departure or a negative antigen test carried out 24 prior to departure as well. People who have been fully vaccinated for less than six months, as well as travelers who have left Lebanon and want to return within the timeframe of a week, will be exempt from this measure.

    • This sharp increase in traffic is explained by the huge decline in 2021, estimated by the airport at 51.4 percent year-on-year, compared to a drop in activity of 14.2 percent in 2020, while the sector suffered the repercussions of health restrictions linked to the pandemic.