Lebanon’s second airport reopens, offering fresh hope for the impoverished north
Justin Salhani
Lebanon’s second airport, Rene Mouawad, welcomed its first flight on June 6 after decades of closure. Officials hope the Qlayaat hub will boost the economy of the impoverished north by linking to Istanbul, Dubai and Mersin. The project faces challenges including infrastructure gaps, security fears and political interference.
After relying on a single airport south of Beirut for decades, Lebanon marked a milestone on June 6 when the Rene Mouawad airport in the northern town of Qlayaat officially received its first flight. The ceremonial flight carried Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and a delegation, signaling the restart of a project that had faced repeated delays.
Authorities said the first three international routes will link the airport to Istanbul (Turkey), Dubai (UAE) and Mersin (Turkey). Mazen Sammak, chairman of the Lebanese Private Pilots Association, told Al Jazeera: “The inaugural flight is a milestone, but the real challenge lies ahead – turning ceremony into reality faces many obstacles.”
The airport was originally slated to receive passengers by mid-2026, but Israeli attacks caused delays, forcing authorities to focus on war recovery. From March 2026 to date, Israel has killed 3,826 people and displaced over 1.2 million in Lebanon.
After a third ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel was announced in mid-June 2026, residents began returning home and hoping for recovery. In November 2024, the World Bank estimated Lebanon needed around $11 billion for reconstruction and recovery. Recent war damage added at least $3 billion, though the real figure may be far higher.
Economic lifeline for the impoverished region
Qlayaat lies just 6 km from the Syrian border and is expected to serve both its own region and major Syrian cities such as Homs and coastal towns. Analysts say the change of regime in Syria in December 2024 gave fresh momentum to the airport project, as the former government of Bashar al-Assad had opposed it for fear of competition with Syrian domestic airports.
“With new governments in both Syria and Lebanon – Prime Minister Salam took office in 2025 – plans for the airport have advanced quickly,” the article notes. Officials expect the airport to handle small aircraft and low-cost airlines within three months.
Sammak predicts the airport could accommodate about 115,000 passengers in its first year, rising to 600,000 by year four. “We are still in a recovery phase that will last about three more months,” he said, revealing plans to install a temporary terminal, baggage handling areas, security screening and check-in counters. “Right now there aren’t even toilets there.”
Security concerns and fears of political 'fiefdoms'
Some Lebanese residents worry the new airport could invite Israeli attacks on Beirut’s airport, which lies near the southern suburb of Dahiyeh – a target in Israeli strikes during conflicts in 2006, 2024 and 2026 against Hezbollah targets. Sammak dismissed such fears: “Israel does not need Lebanon to run a second airport to attack Beirut International. We see Rene Mouawad as an economic catalyst and a backup option.”
He noted that if Israel wanted to cause harm, it could hit both airports at once, as it did by destroying all bridges across Lebanon in 2006. “But for now, I see no link between the airport’s progress and those attacks.”
While waiting for the terminal to be completed, new routes to be found and safety certifications, Sammak warned about the risk of political factions packing the project with their own appointees, as has happened with many government projects since the civil war (1975–1990). “We need real experts, not political appointees who lack competence. We need independent and capable specialists,” he said.
