Mersin, Istanbul, and Dubai
first destinations from Kleyat

Officials at inauguration promise

partnerships with low-cost airlines

Kleyat René Mouawad Airport (KRMA) will launch its first commercial flights to Mersin, Istanbul, and Dubai as part of the first phase of a rehabilitation plan to bring it back into service.

Aviation authorities are studying the addition of new routes to Medina, Cairo, and Athens. To expand this regional network, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MoPWT) is actively working to attract low-cost carriers, including AJet, Pegasus, and Air Arabia.

Strategic links and infrastructure
Beyond regional routes, the ministry is exploring operational partnerships with European airlines. Discussions include potential routes with Ryanair via Paphos, Cyprus, and Aegean Airlines via Athens, which would grant travelers affordable access to dozens of European destinations. To support the launch, a comprehensive infrastructure plan is underway to improve airport accessibility. New public transportation lines will link Beirut directly to the airport at affordable rates and a four-kilometer road connecting the Abdeh-Arida highway to the airport entrance is being fully rehabilitated.

Political commitment
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said that the project represents a definitive political commitment to regional equity. “We are not just standing in front of a runway, next to a civilian aircraft, and a project for a new passenger hall,” he said. “We are making a political, developmental, and national decision: Akkar will not be outside the State’s developmental priorities.”

“Our presence at the airport is a clear message that this facility is no longer a delayed idea, but a path that has actually begun to materialize,” Salam said. “Our bet is that operating this airport will open new opportunities for Akkar and the North in employment, services, transport, shipping, trade, and tourism. This airport is not a substitute for the Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport (BRHIA). Lebanon needs a modern, integrated aviation infrastructure, just as it needs to link its regions to the national economic cycle.”

Viability and economic impact
Ziad Monla, Chairman of MG Holding and Sky Lounge Services, highlighted the rigorous planning behind the launch. Sky Lounge Services brings operational experience in civil aviation, private aviation, and ground handling services at Beirut Airport since 2008. “The airport opening project is based on technical, operational, and financial studies prepared in cooperation with international experts, ensuring its economic feasibility and sustainability,” Monla said.

IFC to support expansion of Beirut and Kleyat airports
The government has launched a dual-track strategy to revive KRMA, anchoring its immediate commercial launch to a long-term privatization pact signed with the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The structural layout of the deal, which bundles the northern aviation hub with the lucrative Beirut airport (BRHIA), aims to attract tier-one international operators through a structured Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework. Under the newly inked agreement, the IFC will spearhead the drafting of technical studies, financial modeling, and international tender specifications.

Linking the two airports under a single IFC framework has a strategic objective. By leveraging the high investment appeal of Beirut’s airport, the State aims to secure significantly better commercial terms and stronger financial backing for the Kleyat facility during future global tendering rounds. The long-term IFC framework requires an extended implementation timeline. The preparation of comprehensive international studies and global investor roadshows will take several years to fully materialize, pending the stabilization of local political and security conditions. As a result, the current interim leasing arrangement is being utilized as an active proof-of-concept. By establishing immediate operational viability through initial regional flights, the government plans to build market confidence, prove the airport’s economic potential, and ultimately heighten investor appetite ahead of the final, large-scale international bidding process.