Lebanon's long-awaited second airport to open on December 14

Résumé détaillé

Lebanon's long-awaited second airport is to begin commercial flights on December 14, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has announced. Passengers will be able to book flights from Rene…

Lebanon's long-awaited second airport is to begin commercial flights on December 14, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has announced.

Passengers will be able to book flights from Rene Mouawad Airport in Qlayaat, northern Lebanon, starting this Sunday. The initial flight schedule and list of routes serving the airport will be revealed the same day.

After chairing a meeting on preparations, Mr Salam said the new airport would “open new prospects for economic and tourism development” in cash-strapped Lebanon.

Located near the border with Syria, the airport has mainly been used as a military facility for decades despite repeated proposals to reopen it for civilian use. The army has contributed to redevelopment works under a “master plan” drawn up last year.

As part of the relaunch it has been named after Rene Mouawad, a former president of Lebanon who was assassinated shortly after his election in 1989. Trial flights are to begin on November 22, which is both the country's independence day and the anniversary of Mr Mouawad's killing.

December 14 will see the beginning of “regular commercial flights”, Mr Salam said.

The terminal is expected to ease pressure on Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon's only commercial airport at present. The airport is near the capital's southern suburbs, notorious as a target of Israeli bombardment due to support for Hezbollah in the area.

Israel's renewed bombing and occupation of Lebanon during this year's regional war have deepened the country's economic problems. Announcing the airport's redevelopment in June, Mr Salam said the Akkar governorate where it lies had the highest poverty rate in Lebanon.

It is hoped the airport will be able to handle about 114,000 passengers in its first year. Lebanon has also expressed hopes of a boost in visits from Gulf countries as it rebuilds ties with the region.

Début de l'article, extrait de The National. Pour lire la suite, ouvrez l'article chez le média.