The Minister of Public Works in the caretaker government, Ali Hamieh, commented on the electricity issue at Beirut International Airport, stating, "Electricity was restored to Beirut Airport at 12 PM and the air conditioning is working, but it will go off for half an hour to prevent damage during the switch from the main power to generators." He emphasized, "We are keen on the comfort of all passengers arriving at Beirut Airport," urging "ministries to cooperate and ensure a continuous power supply."
In response to Minister Hamieh's request for electricity to be secured for Beirut Airport, the caretaker Minister of Energy, Walid Fayad, said: "I have intervened with the Iraqis over the past month, especially in the last few days, to facilitate an exception while the Lebanese Parliament and the acting Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, Wassim Mansouri, are completing the process to permit the transfer of Iraqi dues to the Iraqi account at Bank of Lebanon."
Fayad added, "As a result of my efforts, the Iraqi Prime Minister sent a letter on July 4 to the Iraqi Minister of Oil and the Iraqi Oil Company, SOMO, to facilitate the loading of the shipment currently on hold in Iraq, which resolves the issue for this month." He continued, “According to the director-general of SOMO, the Iraqi minister requested confirmation from the Iraqi Prime Minister regarding the content of the message, which should be received today. According to the Iraqi Oil Company SOMO, this will allow the loading of the shipment by tomorrow at the latest."
Fayad also confirmed that cooperation and coordination are ongoing with those responsible at Beirut Airport, explaining that electricity will return within days, noting that Electricité du Liban is still supplying the airport with power at the moment. He reassured that electricity will not be completely cut off for either the airport or for the Lebanese people, recalling that the delay is due to dues being settled at the last minute.
