Beirut’s airport saw a nearly 12 percent increase in traffic in April compared with a year earlier, the state-run National News Agency reported Saturday.
The total number of people passing through the airport hit 816,816, with 399,505 arrivals, 413,954 departures and 3,357 people connecting through the airport.
By comparison, 730,739 people passed the airport in April last year.
The airport currently has the capacity for about 6 million travelers a year, though an average of about 8 million has passed through in recent years.
Public Works Minister Youssef Fenianos said that an ongoing partial expansion project at the airport would be completed by early June, while a larger expansion project would begin in September after the peak season ends.
Already ongoing work – geared to ease the flow of passengers by adding 12 new passport control counters – has caused longer waiting times for those leaving the airport.
The work comes ahead of a summer season that Lebanese officials have said would be promising for airport traffic, given a stable security situation and a Saudi decision to remove a travel ban for its citizens.
The Daily Star
06/05/2019
