BEIRUT - Passenger traffic at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport rose sharply in August 2026, reaching its highest monthly level so far this year, although activity remained below the levels recorded during the same month last year.
Passenger Traffic Rises in August
A total of 835,576 passengers used the airport in August, compared with 929,815 passengers in August 2025, representing a decline of around 10%, according to airport figures.
The increase in August followed a rise in passenger traffic in July, when the airport recorded 722,043 passengers. August therefore marked an increase of more than 113,000 passengers compared with the previous month.
Despite the month-on-month improvement, overall airport activity remains below last year’s levels, reflecting the impact of Lebanon’s security, political, financial and social conditions on travel and transport activity.
Arrivals and Departures
Of the passengers recorded in August, 369,972 arrived in Lebanon, down around 7% from August 2025.
Meanwhile, 465,586 passengers departed the country, marking a larger decline of 12.5% compared with the same month last year.
Transit passenger traffic also fell. The airport recorded 18 transit passengers in August, a decline of 25% year-on-year.
Flight Activity Also Declines
Air traffic followed a similar trend, with commercial national and foreign airlines operating a total of 6,036 flights through the airport during August.
The figure represents a 9% decline compared with August 2025.
The total included 3,017 arriving flights and 3,019 departing flights, showing a nearly even distribution between inbound and outbound operations.
Traffic Still Below 2025 Levels
Although August recorded the highest monthly passenger total at the airport since the beginning of 2026, the increase has not reversed the broader decline in traffic recorded during the year.
Between January and August 2026, 3,571,338 passengers used Rafic Hariri International Airport, compared with 4,802,038 passengers during the same period in 2025.
This represents a 25.6% decline in passenger traffic year-on-year.
The figures show that the improvement recorded during July and August has yet to offset the significant decline accumulated during the first eight months of the year.
Lebanon’s Broader Conditions
The airport’s traffic has continued to reflect the wider conditions in Lebanon, where security, political, financial and social developments have affected travel demand and airline operations.
August’s increase nevertheless represents a notable improvement from earlier in the year. Passenger traffic rose from 722,043 in July to 835,576 in August, making August the busiest month recorded at the airport so far in 2026.
Despite the monthly increase, passenger traffic remains below the levels recorded in August 2025, while cumulative traffic for the first eight months of 2026 remains substantially lower than during the same period last year.
