What Beirut Airport witnessed in the last month of 2022 encapsulates much about the stories and struggles of the Lebanese people. Welcomes, hugs, flowers, tears, farewells. The scene in the first hours of the first day of the new year was indeed an event. Travelers left their homeland directly after New Year's Eve celebrations, dressed in festive clothes and accessories, carrying hopes and wishes for a quick return... Away from the nostalgia of the airport, the numbers achieved in the last days of the year told another story. According to Fadi Hassan, the Director General of Civil Aviation at Beirut Airport, "Approximately 300,000 passengers entered Lebanon in December last year, which is a very high number." He revealed via mtv that "the majority of the travelers are Lebanese, but there was also a significant number from Iraq, Egypt, Gulf countries, and various European countries."
Hassan pointed out that "in 2022, 6 million and 350 thousand passengers entered Lebanon through the airport, an increase of 47 percent from 2021, which is a record number, especially since this percentage is among the highest in the region, reaching 75 percent of the figures achieved in 2018," when the numbers were very high. He extended a "salute to airport workers, security and civil officials, and airline employees for their great efforts, as no issues or separate security incidents were recorded."
In a related context, Hassan mentioned that "a strategy for the airport has been put in place for 2023 based on the laws recently approved concerning the airport's budget, by allocating 20 percent of departure fees for the maintenance and improvement of the airport’s condition," promising the Lebanese that "before the upcoming summer season, they will notice an improvement in the quality of services at the airport." Hassan concluded by saying, "Despite all that is said and circulated as malicious rumors about Beirut Airport, all the periodic international audits, in addition to the confidence and continuity of foreign companies’ operations, are clear evidence that Beirut Airport is safe and meets international standards."
