Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh launched the project for a new passenger terminal at Rafik Hariri International Airport, in the presence of Irish State Minister James Brown. Hamieh announced that "the Ministry of Public Works and Transport is initiating the construction of a new passenger terminal at the site of the old cargo building, serving as a complementary project to the current passenger terminal."
He pointed out that "the goal of the project is to address the congestion caused by high traffic at the current passenger terminal, which has exceeded its operational capacity of six million passengers per year."
He revealed that "the funding, design, construction, equipping, operation, and maintenance of the new terminal will have an initial cost exceeding 122 million US dollars, fully financed by the private sector without the Lebanese state spending a single dollar. This will be carried out through the Lebanese Air Transport Company (LAT), knowing that the project is set to be completed within four years, after which the ownership of the facilities will be transferred to the civil aviation built area registry. This in itself is a national gain worth more than the mentioned amount. Additionally, the Irish company daa Intl, specializing in managing and operating international and regional airports, will operate the new terminal, as part of our vision to involve the private sector in public facility operations as a guarantee for increased productivity. The opening of this terminal is expected in the first quarter of 2027."
During the event, Prime Minister Mikati emphasized that "the difficulties will not deter us from working to save our country, and we call on everyone to support us in this initiative and cooperate to drive the recovery process forward." He revealed that "a delegation from the International Monetary Fund that visited him earlier today reiterated its support for Lebanon and its hope that we expedite the approval of the necessary reform steps to finalize an agreement with the Fund, which would open doors of hope for Lebanon and additional support from the international community."
For his part, Irish State Minister James Brown stated, "This project is extremely important and I am confident that it will help Rafik Hariri International Airport - Beirut continue to provide world-class services."
