15 February 2011
BEIRUT: The number of passengers arriving at Rafik Hariri International Airport in January 2011 fell slightly compared to the same month of 2010, the Civil Aviation Authority said Monday.
According to the statistics, the number of passengers arriving at the airport in January reached 155,533, a drop of 1.04 percent.
But the figures showed that the number of passengers leaving the airport that month rose by 0.73 percent to reach 210,035.
This means that the total number of passengers using that airport that month reached 396,735.
The private jets using Beirut airport in January fell by 18.31 percent while cargo transport from the airport slipped by 8.44 percent.
The number of Lebanese, Arab and foreign commercial flights (both departure and arrival) in January reached 7,925, an increase of 13.45 percent.
The number of incoming flights that month reached 2,258, an increase of 7.22 percent while the outgoing flights reached 2,259, an increase of 6.91 percent.
The activity at Beirut airport improved in 2008, 2009 and 2010 despite the deep political differences and occasional security incidents.
The Tourism Ministry said the number of Arab and foreign tourists in 2010 reached more than 2 million, an increase of more than 10 percent compared to the same period of 2009.
Tour operators argue that foreign tourists will always come to Lebanon to spend their summer and winter vacation provided that the security situation remains stable. – The Daily Star
Copyright The Daily Star 2011.
