Place to see: Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport, Beirut, Lebanon

About this place:

Beirut Rafik Hariri International Airport (formerly Beirut International Airport) (IATA: BEY) (Arabic: مطار رفيق الحريري الدولي - بيروت) is located 9 km (5.6 mi) from the city center in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon and is the only operational commercial airport in the country. It is the hub for Lebanon's national carrier, Middle East Airlines (more commonly known as MEA).

It is the main port of entry into the country along with the Port of Beirut. The airport was selected by the famed "Skytrax Magazine" as the second best airport and aviation hub in the Middle East; it came just behind Dubai International Airport.

The airport opened on April 23, 1954 replacing the much smaller Bir Hassan Airfield which was located a short distance north. On June 22, 2005, Beirut International Airport was renamed Beirut Rafik Hariri International Airport in honor of the assassinated former prime minister of Lebanon Rafīk Harīrī.

The modern terminal consists of 23 gates, 21 of which have jetways, two of which are dual jetway gates for large aircraft. The terminal consists of 4 levels. The ground level is the arrival area, the 2nd level is the departure level and the gates area, the 3rd level houses the airline lounges, and the 4th level houses the airport administration offices. Long-term plans include adding 7 more gates to the terminal, some of which can handle the upcoming Airbus A380. However, it is unknown whether the recent damages sustained by the Lebanon-Israeli conflict of 2006 will affect the current plans.

In 2035 the airport is expected to handle about 16,000,000 passengers per year.