The United Nations aviation agency has found Lebanon's main airport lacks valid certification, according to a report summary seen by Reuters, in a setback to US President Donald Trump's move to revive direct US-Beirut flights.
Trump made the announcement in July and signed an order last month for the US government to allow direct flights from the US to Lebanon, reversing a four-decade-long suspension after TWA Flight 847 was hijacked and forced to land in Beirut in 1985. While the US Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Security Administration would still need to conduct safety reviews before flights could resume, the Lebanese embassy in Washington called Trump's order "a significant first step toward restoring direct air service between Lebanon and the United States."
However, the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) technical assistance mission to Lebanon in July identified shortcomings at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport and in the aviation system. The findings, which two senior industry officials familiar with the matter expect to delay the resumption of service, complicate efforts to follow up on an order Trump signed after meeting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. Washington has backed Aoun as it pushes for Iran-backed Hezbollah to be disarmed.
The agency sent its internal report, made at the request of the Lebanese Civil Aviation Authority (LCAA), to Lebanon in September. Beirut airport's firefighting resources are equipped for single-aisle planes, but not twin-aisle jetliners used for long-haul flights, according to a summary of ICAO's report. The airport also lacks an emergency plan, and its conditional certification has expired, the report said. "This is a serious and time-critical matter that must be addressed immediately to preserve the airport's operational status," the summary said.
Lebanon's Public Works and Transport Minister Fayez Rasamny said corrective measures had already begun and that work towards certification was under way, according to The Fox Daily. The Lebanese Civil Aviation Authority expects to issue conditional certification. Even if Lebanon addresses the airport's certification issues, the FAA and TSA must conduct safety reviews, and airlines must assess operational and security risks before launching services, The Fox Daily reported.