Beirut Airport was flooded yesterday with just a few inches of water. Following heavy rains that lasted no more than 10 minutes, a significant amount of water surged into the arrival and departure halls, the VIP lounge, and the free zone, in a scene rarely seen except in a failed state, as reported by the newspaper "Nidaa Al-Watan." The General Directorate of Civil Aviation stated that "after reviewing 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 amount of rain exceeded the capacity of those drains and pumps, causing water to flow into the passenger terminal."
The "MEAS" company denied responsibility, while Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh was notably absent from commentary. Hamieh, who never misses an opportunity at the airport or port to hold press conferences and organize media tours, portraying himself as concerned about public facilities and state finances, consistently denies ministry responsibility for street and road flooding, blaming it instead on people mismanaging waste that clogs the drains. His sources attributed yesterday's flooding to "the unprecedented and massive amounts of rain in a very short time, which exceeded the capacity of those drains and pumps at the airport."
Also silent was the President of Middle East Airlines, Mohammed Khaout, knowing that MEAS is a subsidiary of Middle East Airlines, fully owned by the Central Bank of Lebanon, which has been responsible for operating and maintaining Beirut Airport under a contract signed with the Council for Development and Reconstruction for a quarter of a century. Recently, "MEAS" claimed it has unpaid dues from the state for years, but on October 27, the minister announced during one of his routine promotional tours at Rafic Hariri International Airport that $5 million would be allocated to them.
Ultimately, everyone is shirking responsibility and passing the blame, ignoring that the airport is Lebanon’s gateway and a strategic facility; neglecting it poses a serious danger that could be very costly. It is noteworthy that during a Cabinet session held on October 19, it was decided to reaffirm a previous decision to secure an annual amount of around $20.58 million starting September 1, 2022, for funding the operation and maintenance contract and the supervision contract at the airport, particularly regarding the MEAS company. An amount of $5.2 million will be transferred to the Council for Development and Reconstruction as payment against its dues and for the consultant "Dar al-Handasah." This amount will be distributed as $5 million for the company and $200,000 for the consultant, and it will be paid from the detailed account in the Treasury that belongs to the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (20% airport fees, an exit fee per passenger, law 2022/303), aiming to enable the company to activate and apply the clauses and substance of the contract signed with it to operate and maintain the services related to the airport buildings and facilities. Periodic amounts will be transferred by the ministry to the Council for Development and Reconstruction according to the available credits from the mentioned account.
