Prime Minister Nawaf Salam chairing a meeting at the Grand Serail dedicated to the Qleyaat airport rehabilitation project, on June 18, 2025. (Credit: NNA.)
BEIRUT —Prime Minister Nawaf Salam chaired a meeting on Wednesday at the Grand Serail to discuss the rehabilitation project of Qaaleiyat Airport in northern Lebanon. The session was attended by Public Works and Transport Minister Fayez Rassamny and representatives from the engineering firm Dar al-Handasah.
During the meeting, consultants presented a preliminary master plan for the airport, commissioned by the government. According to an official statement, the plan includes proposals for the passenger terminal, control tower, and a status report on the runways.
Salam praised the "professional and swift" work of the consultants and asked them to finalize a feasibility study expected within two months.
This project is part of the executive’s desire to equip Lebanon with an airport infrastructure complementary to Beirut Airport, particularly to support the economic development of the Akkar region. The issue is on the agenda for the Cabinet meeting on Friday, which will debate a bill authorizing the design, construction, development, and operation of the airport.
"This project is very important for Lebanon. The economic feasibility study confirms the necessity of launching this vital project, which will help the country without encroaching on the role of the Beirut International Airport," Minister Rassamny said following the meeting. He confirmed that a tender is being prepared, and bidding could take place as early as the beginning of next year.
According to Marwan Kobrosli, Director of Dar al-Handasah in Lebanon, the upcoming feasibility study will determine the project's cost and define the conditions of the specifications.
Originally set up by the French army in 1938, the Qaaleiyat Airport was placed under the control of the Lebanese army in 1966, which modernized it into a military base. It was renamed Rene Moawad Airport in 1989 in honor of the elected president of the Republic — on the very site — who was later assassinated. In 2006, it was bombed by the Israeli army, systematically targeting Lebanese runways.
Repaired, these runways have seen the Lebanese air force regain control. Since 2010, discussions have been ongoing about transforming what is now the Rene Moawad Air Base into a commercial civil airport, though the project has never been realized.
