The Beirut-Rafik Hariri International Airport will reopen for commercial flights with the beginning of July, Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced.
On Friday, PM Diab held a meeting with a number of ministers to discuss the reopening of Lebanon’s international airport. In conclusion, the attendees agreed to schedule the reopening day for commercial flights on the 1st of July.
Private flights, on the other hand, will resume earlier, on June 24th.
It’s important to note, however, that airport activity will be restricted to a maximum of 10% compared to last year’s capacity, due to the persistent threat to public health that naturally accompanies air traffic during the health crisis.
As an additional measure to reduce the magnitude of this threat, PCR tests will be conducted for all arrivals in Beirut.
For people arriving from countries that require PCR tests for passengers, the specialized teams at Rafik Hariri Airport will perform a second test and inform the person of the results after 24 hours.
As for those arriving from countries that do not perform these tests, a PCR test will be also conducted on arrival, and its result will be disclosed to them 24 hours later.
Then, 72 hours after the results come out, the passengers will take another PCR test.
In case any passenger tests positive, they must commit to self-isolation and follow the guidelines of the Ministry of Public Health until their recovery.
Notably, all non-Lebanese citizens interested in traveling to Lebanon after the airport opens must possess an insurance policy valid for the entire duration of their planned stay in the country.
The obligatory insurance policy is intended to cover all costs of treatment for COVID-19 on Lebanese territory for its carrier. It is possible to acquire a policy from the insurance companies operating in Lebanon.
The reopening of Rafik Hariri International Airport comes after over 10 weeks of pandemic-induced closure, and 12 days after the conclusion of the ongoing 4th evacuation stage of Lebanese nationals abroad.
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