BEIRUT - The Lebanese government has approved the creation of a new company to manage and operate Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport.
The company will be fully owned by the state and structured so that ownership is divided into shares, which can later be partially sold or offered to the public under existing laws.
In a statement, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport said the decision to establish the “Beirut International Airport Company” is not a new policy change, but the application of Law 481/2002, which regulates civil aviation in Lebanon.
The ministry explained that Article 14 of the law clearly allows the government to create a joint-stock company under the same name, tasked with operating airport services, air navigation, communications, meteorology, and related activities.
According to the ministry, the aviation law also separates responsibilities within the sector. It assigns regulation, oversight, and safety monitoring to a civil aviation authority, while operations and investment activities are given to the new company that will run the airport.
The ministry added that the company will be fully owned by the Lebanese state when it is created. However, the law allows the government to later sell part or all of its shares under Lebanon’s privatization law (Law 228/2000).
It also allows some shares to be offered to the public through the Beirut Stock Exchange, under conditions set by the government.
The company will be established for a renewable period of 30 years and will have a capital of 1 billion Lebanese pounds (about USD 11,170 at current exchange rates). Its main role will be to operate the airport and provide related technical services.
The ministry rejected media claims that the decision weakens the role of the civil aviation authority. It said the authority will continue to handle regulation and oversight, while the company will focus only on operations and services.
It also dismissed concerns that the structure changes ownership rules, stressing that all shares belong to the state and can only be sold later through official legal procedures.
Officials described the decision as part of wider efforts to modernize how the airport is managed, improve performance, and attract future investment, while keeping public ownership and following all legal requirements.
The Cabinet decision marks an important step in restructuring Beirut’s main airport, which continues to face operational and financial pressures amid Lebanon’s ongoing economic crisis.
