The General Directorate of Civil Aviation announced in a statement that "according to the report issued by the Meteorological Department on December 12, unprecedented torrential rain fell between 13:20 and 13:50. Accompanied by heavy medium-sized hail, the accumulated rainfall around Beirut International Airport reached 53 mm in just half an hour, equivalent to 10 days of the average amount for an entire month, including 42 mm within 20 minutes. Additionally, the thickness of the hail exceeded 20 cm in the parking lot area of the terminal building."
It confirmed that this led to "a half-hour halt in flight operations due to poor visibility, as well as water flooding into the arrival and departure halls and the VIP lounge." The authority noted that "after reviewing with the consultant Dar Al-Handasah and the maintenance contractor MEAS, it was found that the drainage systems and rainwater pumps were functioning normally. However, the immense and unprecedented amounts of rain in a very short period exceeded the capacity of those systems and pumps, causing water to flow into the terminal building. The water was then extracted from inside the building, and things returned to normal."
Earlier, rainwater leaked into Beirut International Airport today, Tuesday, disrupting vehicle traffic outside and affecting the movement of travelers.