Klayaat Airport beats Beirut Airport

Public Works Minister Ghazi Aridi visited Klayaat airport accompanied by a civil aviation delegation to inspect the airbase which has borne the name of former President Rene Mouawad since 1990.        

Aridi said that the decision to reactivate the airport is one of the items of the ministerial statement upon which the government was granted confidence. He added that the direction in which the airport will be used requires the establishment of appropriate equipment and measures.       

Aridi, the accompanying delegation, MPs and journalists toured the runways and the control tower to examine their condition.    

The site’s commander and other high-ranking officers briefed the minister on the airport’s status and facilities as a prelude to submit a relevant report to the cabinet.         

Klayaat Airport was founded in the 1940s and was first used to assist Beirut Airport and facilitate the work of Tripoli’s refinery. Starting from the 1960s it was converted for military use and in 1967, it was renovated; a 3km by 45m runway was built while a smaller runway was used as a tarmac to park aircraft.      

Technicians say that this airport is better than Beirut Airport for it is not exposed to sand storms.