Lebanese Civil Aviation Authority: There is no fear for air traffic at Beirut Airport

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In a recent report issued by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), affiliated with the United Nations, shortcomings were detected in the Lebanese civil aviation system at Rafic Hariri International Airport.

The summary of the ICAO report stated that firefighting resources at Beirut Airport are equipped for single-aisle aircraft, and not for the same two aisles used on long-haul flights.

The report also indicated that the airport lacked an emergency plan, and that its conditional certificate had expired.

However, sources in the Civil Aviation Authority explained to Al Arabiya.net and Al-Hadath.net that a delegation from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) arrived in Lebanon yesterday with the aim of renewing the certificate of validity.

She noted, "The renewal was supposed to take place during last August, but security developments in the region prevented that."

The return of direct flights between Lebanon and America

This report comes less than three months after US President Donald Trump announced the resumption of direct flights between the United States and Beirut after four decades of cessation.

Minimum public safety

In addition, Civil Aviation Authority sources explained, “The renewal of the validity certificate is usually linked to the application of minimum public safety conditions, such as the airport not having any waste dump or nearby residential buildings, because that would affect air traffic.”

There is no fear for air traffic at the airport

She stressed, "There is no fear for air traffic at Beirut Airport, and the authorities responsible for the airport are the ones who requested the arrival of a delegation from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to Lebanon in order to renew the airport's certificate of validity."

For more than two years, Rafic Hariri International Airport has been witnessing a large security and logistical workshop to take into account civil aviation safety conditions, amid the decline of Hezbollah’s influence over the only air crossing linking Beirut to the capitals of the world.