Beirut's airport 'will be completely transformed' in a year: Rassamny

Public Works and Transport Minister Fayez Rassamny assured on Friday that the Rafik Hariri International Airport (RHIA) "will be completely transformed" within 12 months, during the inauguration of the first phase of redevelopment work at the East gate of the departures hall.

These are short- and medium-term projects that do not include creating a new terminal, a plan that has been under consideration for several years and remains under study.

The minister made brief remarks about the ongoing work during a press conference, held alongside the president of the General Directorate of Civil Aviation, Captain Mohammed Aziz, and the director general of civil aviation, Amin Jaber, as well as the CEO of Middle East Airlines (MEA), Mohammad al-Hout, after cutting the ribbon at the customs gate and making a quick tour of the building, several sections of which are still under construction.

Several walls of the departures hall have already been replaced with glass, previously unused areas have been repurposed, and new spaces have been created to provide more room for travelers. Other work is ongoing, hidden behind barricades, notably in the arrivals hall.

'You haven’t seen anything yet'

"There are very simple things we can do to make passenger flow smoother at the airport. Some months ago, we started by widening the East entrance as part of a comprehensive plan to allow [RHIA] to welcome two million additional passengers," the minister said.

He announced that various phases of the project will be unveiled gradually, citing the March inauguration of the priority lane (Fast Track).

"I repeat, you haven’t seen anything yet. We have many projects to carry out," the minister added enthusiastically, assuring that "the return of growth starts here."

This renovation work was designed by the engineering firm Dar al-Handasa and carried out by MEAS (Middle East Airports Services S.A.L.), a subsidiary of the national airline.

When asked, the minister would not specify the budget invested in these works, which are fully funded by the state, nor did he discuss the procurement process.

In addition to renovation work, RHIA will acquire new, modern equipment and "technological upgrades," the minister promised, noting only that a "comprehensive plan" had been developed by his ministry, "the details of which will be announced later."

The minister also assured that this work, which will "create many jobs," will be accompanied by enhanced security and safety measures at RHIA, which remains a priority for both the Lebanese presidency and the government.

He also praised the work of the various services that ensure the facility's security and reported increased seizures and arrests in smuggling and trafficking cases in recent months.

Built in 1998, RHIA's current and only terminal can accommodate six million passengers a year, a capacity regularly exceeded since 2013.

Expansion work has been planned for several years. In 2023, Rassamny’s predecessor, Ali Hamieh, awarded the RHIA expansion contract directly to the semi-private Irish company Dublin Airport Authority International, but reversed the decision after controversy over the move.

The conversion of the military airport at Qleiaat (northern Lebanon) into a civilian airport is also in preparation. The work, due to be awarded early next year, will be managed under the amendments to the public-private partnership (PPP) law passed on Thursday, allowing the Civil Aviation Authority to prepare the tender documents for interested companies.