According to official statistics, the traffic in Beirut Airport in the last decade has gotten better each year. Before I get some eye rolls here, I know that some of you would argue that it is “worse”; that is according to some of you who may have had a frustrating experience of waiting endlessly in lines, especially during the high season: Summer.
Trust me, I know how unbearable it can get! Speaking of, this traffic increase is not something I necessarily celebrate either, being myself an Air Traffic Controller at Beirut Airport! Now that I am telling you, I’ll have to get ready with some explanations to my boss before he reads me here.
Anyway, back to our subject, one should keep in mind that we can’t get more tourists -normally more airport activity- without having to pay some price! Anyone who had set foot in one of the major airports in Europe, or elsewhere in the world, knows what I’m talking about.
If we look at the big picture, Beirut Airport, small as it is -and which is adequately more than enough for the Lebanese airspace- has almost always done a great job in “containing” any incoming traffic during any time of the year.
Of course, we all wish for easier procedures for travelers, better logistics, less waiting times… -Don’t even say anything about better air traffic controllers. We already rock!- As for the mentioned points we wish for, we have to give credit where credit is due: All of them are currently being worked on, and some major issues have already been fixed!
All of the graphs in this article are extracts from the statistics done by Dr. Angel Aouad of the Research and Studies Department and Engineer Mark Nasr of the Sector of Economic Studies.
Notice how “hot” our summer usually is!
If you have reached this far, you must be an aviation geek or really thirsty to know more. Stay tuned on The961 for the coming 2019 statistics I’ll share with you very soon, and, until then, here’s some eye-candy for you!
I can’t believe you’re still here! So, let me give you more to know about:
Now, because you are still interested up to here about what I am reporting to you of facts, here are some of my photos I’ve taken from the airport for you. You are free to download them and use them if you want:
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