Lebanon ready for take-off: Minister pushes for airport upgrades and investment

Work on Beirut airport part of gradual improvements to infrastructure, Fayez Rasamny tells The National

Lebanon's Public Works Minister Fayez Rasamny says he is taking a 'step-by-step' approach to improving the country's infrastructure.

A Lebanese government minister is taking a pragmatic, business-minded approach to reviving the country’s collapsing infrastructure, expanding its overstretched international airport and eventually launching a second hub in the north.

As Lebanon emerges from war and economic turmoil, and exits a period of political paralysis, Public Works and Transport Minister Fayez Rasamny is betting on steady short-term improvement projects and foreign investment to rehabilitate the public infrastructure of a country operating at a mere fraction of its capacity after years of crisis.

“Things are extremely challenging due to years of mismanagement,” Mr Rasamny told The National at his office this week. A former entrepreneur and business leader, the minister acknowledges the deep institutional dysfunction challenging ministerial progress – from staffing shortages to outdated equipment – but is pushing through with a steady, “step-by-step” strategy that focuses on what he calls “doable” priorities.

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His ministry will begin by increasing the capacity of Beirut’s overstretched Rafic Hariri International Airport from 8.6 million passengers to more than 10 million within the next year, and enacting a fast-track for passengers. The project has already shown tangible progress with the addition of new X-ray machines, ticket scanners and e-gates, all of which enable faster passage through the airport.

“Over a period of one year, you will see a lot of changes in the existing Rafic Hariri International Airport,” Mr Rasamny said. “We’re enhancing the existing terminal. So many things can be done with the current facility."

The minister said the opening of a second terminal, as cited in recent reports, was a “long-term plan".

"We have a lot of long-term plans. But we need to be realistic. What can be achieved now? What can be achieved later?” he said.

Mr Rasamny also plans to reopen the dormant Qlayaat Airport in the northern governorate of Akkar, which he believes has the potential to “cater for low-cost airlines and cargo”.

'Promising environment'

The success of his plans depends not only on technical execution but on whether Lebanon can persuade foreign investors that, despite years of political and economic turmoil, the country is once again open for business.

It is not a hard sell any more. Fourteen months of war between Israel and Hezbollah have left the Iran-backed paramilitary military depleted and politically constrained, allowing the Lebanese state to reassert control with the backing of western powers. After years of paralysis, caught between Iran and its allies on one side and the US and its backers on the other, Lebanon is finally able to move in a clear direction.

“The environment we are facing is very promising,” Mr Rasamny said. “We’ve seen the worst. We’re still functioning – and we haven’t yet exploited Lebanon’s full potential.”

Mr Rasamny said his ministry is finalising the tender book for bidding, saying the airport is courting “a lot of interest from neighbouring countries, the Gulf, from joint ventures and operating companies”.

Investors are “interested in Lebanon in general”, he added.

Launching the tender book for Qlayaat will hinge on amending Lebanon’s Public-Private Partnership Law in parliament. Mr Rasamny said he is optimistic and hopes to receive the tender book “before September” and sign with an investor by the first quarter. The project has seen “a lot of interest” from a variety of investors.

“Lebanon for them is a gateway, and they are right,” Mr Rasamny told The National. “It's a gateway to the Mediterranean. It's a gateway to Iraq. It's close to Syria.”

“Lebanon’s full potential is not being exploited. And they [investors] can see that. Before, they could see Lebanon’s potential, but for political reasons they couldn’t do anything. Now, everything has changed.”