Geagea demands reopening of Qleyaat airport

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Thursday joined calls for the reopening of Qleyaat airport in Akkar, northern Lebanon.

A resumption of operations at Rene Moawad Airport (named after the first post-Taif president who was elected there in 1989) has been demanded for months by the opposition, in the face of potential threats of a suspension of activities at Beirut's airport, due to its geographical location in the southern suburbs of the capital, a stronghold of Hezbollah, amid fears of a wider conflict in Lebanon. Rafic Hariri International Airport is the only operating airport in Lebanon.

"Can someone explain to me why the government is not restarting Qleyaat airport, even though the infrastructure there is almost complete and it only needs some technical equipment? Especially when we know that Beirut airport is at risk," wrote Samir Geagea on X. He recalled that he made this call "while the government is responsible for facilitating the citizens' affairs."

The opposition believes that Hezbollah does not want to pursue this issue despite a decision 12 years ago by the government to reopen this airport, currently a military base, to civil aviation, without any concrete measures being taken subsequently.

This article originally appeared in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.