Lebanon has outlined its most ambitious aviation push in years, confirming plans to roll out a low-cost airline, expand Beirut’s main airport, and reopen a long-idle airfield in the north.

The announcement came during the Middle East Airlines (MEA) 80th-anniversary event at Rafic Hariri International Airport. MEA chairman Mohammad Hout said the budget carrier, Fly Beirut, is slated to begin operations in early 2027. The airline will sit under MEA, breaking no monopolies but promising cheaper fares — a long-running grievance for Lebanese expatriates facing steep ticket prices.

Hout said MEA will add six aircraft to its fleet next year and move to restore Beirut’s role as a maintenance hub for foreign airlines. “Plans have been drawn up for the company’s future, starting with restoring Beirut’s role as a maintenance hub for foreign airlines, which will require new facilities,” he told officials, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

The carrier’s continued operations during last year’s Israeli strikes, with flights taking off as explosions hit nearby suburbs, intensified calls for a clearer long-term strategy as regional rivals scale up.

Public Works and Transport Minister Fayez Rasamny used the ceremony to set out phased airport works running from 2025 through 2030 and beyond. He said a Fast Track lane is nearing launch to ease passenger movement and expects upgrades to raise capacity by roughly two million travelers a year. “We are not just renovating an airport; we are creating a new travel experience to and from Lebanon,” he said.

Beirut’s airport has struggled with chronic queues and overcrowding, worsened after a 2023 corruption scandal forced the cancellation of a planned Terminal 2. Officials now aim to lift annual passenger capacity to 16 million within the decade, then push toward 20 million.

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The second part of the overhaul targets the Rene Mouawad Airport in Qleiaat, a former civilian airfield turned military base in the Akkar district. Rasamny said reopening the site would connect northern Lebanon to international routes and support development in one of the country’s poorest regions. An Expression of Interest has drawn more than two dozen proposals from local and foreign companies.

The government expects to award the project early next year. If works proceed, Lebanon could operate two civilian airports for the first time in decades — a shift that may ease pressure on Beirut and give Fly Beirut room to scale once it takes off.