Amid renewed calls to rehabilitate Qleiaat airport in Akkar, northern Lebanon, the head of Parliament’s Public Works Committee, MP Sajih Attieh, on Wednesday denied reports of a visit by a Saudi delegation to the facility for a potential funding assessment.

In an interview with Radio Liban Libre, Attieh said, “The Lebanese Army, which is responsible for the site, is not aware of any visit, nor are the new public works minister and the parliamentary Public Works Committee.” He added that “no foreign company will visit before first contacting the ministry and before the state clarifies its requirements.”

Asked about the cost of reviving Qleiaat airport, Attieh said it would require “hundreds of millions of dollars to serve as a supplementary airport to Beirut, not as a competitor.”

The daily al-Joumhouria had reported that a delegation from the military works directorate of Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry visited Qleiaat for a “technical and financial” assessment of possible rehabilitation work.

Push by pro-Marada MPs

The reopening of Qleiaat airport was included in the ministerial statement of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s government, reportedly at the insistence of President Joseph Aoun. Meanwhile, the rehabilitation of Rayak airport was pushed by representatives of the Amal-Hezbollah alliance.

Attieh’s denial came as the Independent National Bloc — a group that includes MPs affiliated with or close to the Marada Movement, such as Farid al-Khazen, Tony Frangieh, William Tawk, and Georges Boushikian — joined calls to “revitalize” the Qleiaat and Rayak airports and complete the Jounieh port rehabilitation project.

Economic and strategic considerations

The issue of Rene Moawad Airport in Qleiaat — named after Lebanon’s first post-Taef president, elected in 1989 — has gained prominence amid Israeli threats to Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport, the country’s only operational airport.

According to MPs close to Marada leader Sleiman Frangieh, rehabilitating these facilities is “an essential step toward invigorating North Lebanon’s economy and restoring the rights of citizens in this long-marginalized region,” as stated in remarks relayed by the National News Agency.

The Independent National Bloc MPs also urged prioritizing the Rayak airport rehabilitation and the completion of the Jounieh tourist port, citing their importance to industry, commerce, and tourism nationwide. The bloc further emphasized the need for full implementation of the cease-fire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel, reached in late November 2024, and for Israel’s total withdrawal from Lebanese territory. The MPs condemned the continued Israeli presence at five positions in South Lebanon, calling it a “flagrant violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty.”