Lebanon airport to reopen on June 21: Transport minister

The country's only international airport has been closed since March 19 as part of lockdown measure amid at stemming the spread of coronavirus.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab

01 June, 2020

Lebanon is in the midst of its worst economic crisis since the civil war [Getty]

Lebanon's airport is expected to reopen on June 21, the country's public works and transport minister said on Sunday, pushing back a previously set reopening on June 8.

The country's only international airport has been closed since March 19 as part of lockdown measure amid at stemming the spread of coronavirus.

"The airport will not open on June 8, but it is expected [to open] starting June 21," Michel Najjar was quoted as saying by local media.

While Rafik Hariri International Airport had suspended all commercial and private flights in March, the Beirut airport had been receiving organised flights repatriating its own nationals.

Sunday's announcement came after the country's health minister said that while there was a stable decline of Covid-19 cases in the last two weeks, the reopening of the airport may result in an uptick of infections.

"As long as the world is suffering from an international pandemic, the airport needs special arrangements regarding its reopening, mainly related to the number of infections that will come through," Hamad Hasan said in a statement.

Lebanon is in the midst of its worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war, compounded by a lockdown to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.