Rene Mouawad Airport

Rene Mouawad Airport
مطار الرئيس الشهيد رينيه معوض
Maṭār ar-Raʾīs aš-Šahīd Rinih Muʿawwad
Summary
Airport typeJoint (civil and military)
OperatorMilitary and civil
LocationAkkar District, Akkar Governorate, Lebanon
Elevation AMSL23 ft / 7 m
Coordinates34°35′22″N 36°00′41″E / 34.58944°N 36.01139°E / 34.58944; 36.01139
Map
KYE
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
06/24 9,843 3,000 Concrete
Statistics
Annual Passengers5,400

Rene Mouawad Airport (Arabic: مطار الرئيس الشهيد رينيه معوض Maṭār ar-Raʾīs aš-Šahīd Rinih Muʿawwad), formerly and still sometimes known as Qoleiat airport (مطار القليعات, Maṭār al-Qulayʿat), is the civil section of Rene Mouawad Airport in North Lebanon, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the Lebanese–Syrian border.

History

Qoleiat Airfield was originally built by the French army in 1938. The use of Qoleiat Airfield as a civil airport began in the early 1960s. Qoleiat airfield was small at the time and was used by the Tripoli oil company, who used small IPC airplanes for transporting its engineers, staff and workers between Lebanon and the Arab countries.[1] In 1966, the Lebanese Army took control of Qoleiat Airfield and began its expansion and development into a modern joint Civil - military airport. It later became one of the most modernized air bases in the region. According to an agreement signed by the Lebanon and France, a number of state of the art modern Dassault Mirage III fighter jets were supplied to the Lebanese air force which saw pilots and technicians being sent to France in order to continue their training courses related to the Dassault Mirage III fighter jets. In the beginning of 1968, the military personnel finished their courses abroad and returned to Lebanon, with some pilots and technicians being transferred from Rayak Air Base to the Kleyate base. In April of the same year, two aircraft, flown by Lebanese pilots, arrived to Lebanon and other non-stop flights continued until June 1969.[2]

Later during the Lebanese Civil War period, flights were significantly reduced and the Dassault Mirage III fighter jets were kept in storage. In November 1989, the Lebanese parliament met at the airport after the Taif Agreement and elected René Moawad president. Having been assassinated in Beirut seventeen days later, the airbase was later renamed in his honor, by a decree from the Lebanese parliament, and thus the airbase was established and became under the control of the Lebanese Air Force (in regards to the equipment and facilities) and under the jurisdiction of the North regional command (in regards to defense and order).[2]

In 1990, Rene Mouawad Airport resumed its civil aviation activity, where Middle East Airlines ran flights between this air port and Beirut Airport to serve Tripoli and the surrounding area.[3] In 2000, the Lebanese government sold Dassault Mirage III fighter that have become obsolete by this time to Pakistan [4] On July 13, 2006, the Israeli Air Force bombed the airbase during the 2006 Israel Lebanon conflict.[5] The Rene Mouawad Airport has since been repaired and returned into service, mainly by the Lebanese Air Force. Since the late 2000s talks about resuming domestic flights from Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport to Rene Mouawad Airport, Tripoli have come out, however, there has been no discussion on the matter.

Future development

In 2010, Lebanon's director-general of the Lebanese Civil Aviation Authority, Dr Hamdi Chaouk announced that an international airport would be built at Kleyate with construction due to start in 2011. The Rene Mouawad Air Base airport would primarily be used for cargo and low-cost carriers, making it possible to travel to the North of the country without travelling by road from Beirut.[6]

In January 2012, the Lebanese cabinet announced plans to restore the airport so that it will be used for cargo and low-cost airlines. To date, however, nothing has come of these plans, and restoration of the airport has not yet begun.

On 16 February 2025, protests erupted by Hezbollah supporters on the roads leading to Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport due to the government taking measures to prevent the landing of an Iranian airplane that has Lebanese passengers on board after the IDF issued threats to strike the airport. As a result, the minister of public works in Nawaf Salam's cabinet Fayez Rasamny stated that the presence of a second official airport in Lebanon is necessary therefore implying the beginning of the renovation and restoration of Qlayaat airport.[7][8]

On 25 March 2025, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced, during a meeting at the airport's premises, that the airport would be functional as a civilian airport within a year.[9]

On 11 November 2025, during its 80th anniversary conference, MEA's chairman, Mohamad El Hout, revealed the airline's plans to launch a new low-cost subsidiary, "Fly Beirut", to be managed by MEA itself. According to El Hout, the airline will commence operation in 2027 with a fleet of 6 aeroplanes and will be based out of Rene Mouawad Airport. [10]

See also

References

  1. ^ Dorandeu, Guilhem (8 April 2024). "Lebanon's forgotten airfields". L'Orient-Le Jour. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  2. ^ a b قطعة عريقة عمرها من عمر الجيش اللبناني. Lebanese Army Magazine (in Arabic). March 16, 2004. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  3. ^ "Tripoli" (in French). Baron & Baron. Archived from the original on 2008-12-24. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  4. ^ "Lebanese Air Force - Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Lubnania - Force Aérienne Libanaise - MILAVIA Air Forces". www.milavia.net. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  5. ^ "Israeli Warplanes Attack Beirut Airport". Associated Press. 2006-07-13.
  6. ^ "Lebanon to expand Beirut capacity and open new airport for LCC and cargo flights". Arabian Aerospace. Retrieved 2010-11-15.
  7. ^ "ملف مطار القليعات أمام مجلس الوزراء!". a5r5br.net (in Arabic). 2025-02-16. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
  8. ^ "وعد من سلام بتلزيم مطار القليعات". Kataeb Party (in Arabic). Retrieved 2025-02-16.
  9. ^ "Salam from Tripoli: The government commits to preserving the city's stability - L'Orient Today". 25 March 2025. Archived from the original on 2025-03-25. Retrieved 2025-08-24.
  10. ^ https://www.mtv.com.lb/en/news/Local/1627931/chairman-of-mea-mohamad-el-hout--we-have-set-plans-for-the-next-phase--starting-with-restoring-beirut-s-role-as-a-maintenance-hub-for-international-airlines--launching-fly-beirut-in-2027--and-receivin


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