The Qleiaat airport in North Lebanon. (Credit: Michel Hallak/OLJ)
The establishment of a second airport in Lebanon has been a contentious issue within the Lebanese political class since the end of the 1975-90 Civil War.
In recent months, the topic has resurfaced following intense Israeli bombardments in the southern suburbs of Beirut, located near Beirut’s international airport. Israeli threats to strike it during the last round of violence also aggravated the topic, and, more recently, demonstrations by Hezbollah supporters protesting the ban on the landing of two Iranian planes in February.
Mainly promoted by parties opposed to both Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, the opening of a second civilian airport in the northern district of Akkar, in the town of Qleiaat, was prominently featured in the ministerial statement of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s Cabinet.
Built by the French army in 1938, the Qleiaat airport was placed under Lebanese Army control in 1966, which modernized it into a military base. It was renamed Rene Moawad Airport in 1989, in honor of the then president of the republic who was elected — on that very site — and assassinated.
In 2006, the airfield was bombed by the Israeli army, which systematically targeted Lebanese runways. After repairs, the Lebanese air force took control of the site once again. As early as 2010, discussions were initiated to transform what had become the Rene Moawad air base into a civilian commercial airport, but the project never materialized.
In this context, several redevelopment studies of the airport have been conducted, “but they all need to be updated,” said MP Sajih Attieh, president of the parliamentary Public Works Committee and member of the National Moderation bloc, who has long advocated for the progress of this issue.
Beirut airport overcrowded
But beyond political and security considerations, does developing this infrastructure make sense economically?
“Just because Lebanon is small in size doesn’t mean it should not have several civilian airports,” said Fadi Ramadan, a former captain with Middle East Airlines (MEA) and now a pilot with Air Côte d’Ivoire.
Cyprus, smaller than Lebanon, has three civilian airports in operation. Jordan and Israel also have three. Beyond that, its economic impact on the area would be significant.
“An airport sustains the entire surrounding area. All of northern Lebanon would benefit from this new infrastructure, whether in terms of tourism, transportation, hotels or restaurants,” said Ramadan. Its implementation would “create 2,000 jobs” and have a “positive impact on both Lebanon and Syria,” said Akkar MP Walid Baarini.
Lebanon’s need for a second airport is all the more pressing given that Beirut airport has long been operating past its capacity.
Opened in 1953, it has been expanded and modernized several times, allowing it to accommodate up to six million passengers a year since 2005. But that capacity was quickly surpassed in the 2010s, with annual passenger traffic topping eight million by 2017.
While the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily brought numbers down, the six-million mark was once again exceeded in 2022 and 2023. Meanwhile, the cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel, in effect since late November 2024, and recent diplomatic calm between Lebanon and its neighbors have given economic players hope for a large return of travelers.
“Having a second airport in Lebanon will complement the country’s offering and will not compete with Beirut’s international airport,” Ramadan said.
A $120 million project
Attieh said the airport could be developed to “handle up to two million passengers per year, which would help ease pressure on Beirut airport.”
This is all the more relevant since “30 to 40 percent of Lebanese travelers passing through Beirut airport come from northern Lebanon,” said Jean Abboud, president of the Association of Travel and Tourism Agents in Lebanon.
The geographic location of the Qleiaat airport could also be an advantage due to its proximity to Syria. Located less than 10 minutes from the Arida border crossing, “it could also serve more than one million Syrians living nearby,” said Attieh.
This new airport would also complement Beirut’s by targeting a different segment of the market.
“The airport in Qleiaat could position itself as a hub for low-cost airlines, air cargo and charter flights organized by tour operators,” said a senior official at Beirut airport, speaking on condition of anonymity.
While demand for low-cost carriers is on the rise, these airlines are “not always able to operate from Lebanon due to the high fees at Beirut airport and lack of available slots,” Abboud argued.
These airlines could instead operate flights from Qleiaat, provided that fees there are lower than Beirut’s.
“Lower fees could help position this airport as a hub for air cargo,” Attieh said. “At Beirut airport, the cost of processing and transporting one kilogram of cargo is $2.50. With low-cost options, it could range between $0.50 and $1 per kilogram at Qleiaat, making certain exports cheaper and more competitive.”
Another possible use for this airport would be domestic flights connecting northern Lebanon to the capital. “For such a project to succeed, the necessary infrastructure needs to be developed, such as shuttle services and parking facilities for travelers,” explained the Beirut airport official.
A Beirut-Qleiaat flight would take less than 30 minutes and cost between $50 and $70, depending on demand, fuel prices and how the sector is managed, according to Ramadan.
The challenge remains to find ways to finance it. According to Attieh, the project “could cost between $100 million and $120 million and could be completed within six months.”
The Beirut airport official, however, estimates the timeline to be closer to two years. At a time when the state lacks funds, Attieh said that the project would be financed through a build-operate-transfer (BOT) arrangement, a public-private partnership model in which a private entity is tasked with designing and operating public infrastructure for a set period before transferring it back to the state. The timeline and cost depend on how the airport is ultimately used.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient Le-Jour and was translated by Sahar Ghoussoub.
