Beirut airport traffic slumps as coronavirus hits Lebanon’s tourism sector

Beirut airport traffic slumps as coronavirus hits Lebanon’s tourism sector

The stark impact of coronavirus on the tourism industry in Lebanon was laid bare on Monday as Beirut International Airport announced a significant drop in passengers visiting the country.

The airport reported weak numbers throughout the first eight months of 2020, with the highest contraction registered in the second quarter of the year, as lockdown measures were imposed on the country to prevent the spread of the virus.

The number of passengers travelling via the Beirut International Airport (BIA) contracted by nearly 75 percent to 1,557,273 during the first eight months of the current year, down from 6,222,002 passengers in the same period in 2019.

Beirut International Airport resumed commercial flights on July 1, keeping air traffic at 10 percent of capacity from a year ago, while private flights resumed from June 24.

The