No Script

Please Wait...

Ramadan Kareem...

Lebanon To Open Airport Early July – Minister

Lebanon To Open Airport Early July – Minister
folder_openLebanon access_time3 years ago
starAdd to favorites

By Staff, Agencies

Lebanese Minister of Public Works and Transport, Michel Najjar said Tuesday that Beirut International Airport will reopen “in early July” after being closed for months to limit the spread of coronavirus.

Najjar told a delegation from Lebanon’s Union of Tourism and Travel Agencies that the airport will be opened tentatively in early July in order to stimulate the economy and return life to all sectors.

The minister’s remarks came in response to the union’s plea to help the tourism and travel sectors, which have been hit hard by coronavirus-related travel restrictions and the ongoing dollar liquidity crisis in Lebanon.

The country’s airport has been closed since March 18 and only returning nationals, diplomats and military personnel have been allowed to fly into the country.

Najjar previously said that the airport was penciled in to open June 21. That date was pushed back due to a spike in coronavirus cases caused to a large degree by nationals returning to Lebanon carrying the virus. Some have additionally disregarded quarantine measures and have created localized infection clusters.

Relatively, Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab met with Tourism Minister Ramzi Musharrafieh, the heads of the Central Bank, Middle East Airlines and several tourist unions Tuesday in order to prepare for the tourist season.

“What is important for us today is to put Lebanon back on the tourism map while balancing health protection and tourism in order to revive the economy,” Diab said.

“There is a strategic plan put forward by the tourism minister and it’s important to agree upon it as we will make a decision at the end of this week related to procedures for reopening the airport.”

Comments