The International Civil Aviation Organization found that Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport’s conditional operating certificate had expired, alongside deficiencies in emergency response and Lebanon’s aviation oversight. The findings add safety questions to plans for direct U.S.-Beirut flights.
The agency’s technical mission visited Lebanon in July 2026, at the request of Lebanon’s Civil Aviation Authority (LCAA). It delivered an internal assessment to Lebanese officials in September; the findings became public on October 16.
The fire and rescue services described in the assessment can handle single-aisle planes, but not twin-aisle aircraft used on long-haul routes. The report also found the airport had no emergency plan.
Free toolB1/B2 Tourist Visa Stay Calculator online
The assessment warned that the problems required immediate attention. Its summary called the situation “a serious and time-critical matter that must be addressed immediately to preserve the airport’s operational status.”
Fayez Rasamny, Lebanon’s Minister of Public Works and Transport, said airport-certification work was due to start Saturday, October 17, 2026. He said the regulator expected to issue conditional certification “in the coming days.”
Rasamny said the regulator had already identified most of the problems. He attributed delays in addressing them to the war.
“Most of the issues highlighted in the report had already been identified by the LCAA, and corrective action had already been initiated.”
The assessment found gaps in emergency response and oversight
The expired certificate is one part of the findings. The assessment also describes a mismatch between the airport’s fire and rescue capacity and the larger aircraft used on long-distance routes.
That capacity is limited to single-aisle aircraft. Long-haul service would typically use twin-aisle planes, which the airport’s existing firefighting resources cannot cover, according to the assessment.
An airport emergency plan was also missing. The report’s warning linked the deficiencies to the airport’s continued operational status, while the planned certification work is intended to address the problems.
The assessment raised concerns beyond the airport grounds. It found the LCAA did not have enough qualified inspectors to oversee air-traffic-control licensing.
Lebanon also lacked a fully functioning, independent body for investigating aircraft accidents, with responsibilities clearly assigned. The report therefore identified weaknesses in both regulatory oversight and the country’s accident-investigation system.
Certification is only one hurdle to direct U.S. service
Direct flights between the United States and Lebanon have been unavailable since the 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847. Lebanon maintains air links with major European cities, but nonstop U.S. service has not resumed.
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in September 2026 permitting direct flights to Lebanon. That step did not clear the route for commercial service: the Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Security Administration still need to complete safety and security assessments.
Three U.S. airline officials, speaking anonymously, said security concerns made an immediate return by American carriers unlikely. The airport’s certification deficiencies add another obstacle to that process.
Even if Lebanon obtains conditional certification, that alone would not satisfy the separate U.S. safety and security reviews. The fire-rescue gap is especially relevant to long-haul aircraft, which are generally used for routes of this type.
Lebanon’s certification timetable now has two estimates
Rasamny said the LCAA expected to issue conditional certification within days of beginning the work. Captain Mohamed Aziz, head of the authority, separately said the certification file was being renovated and could be completed in approximately one week.
Aziz said airport operations continued normally. His estimate places the file’s completion on a roughly one-week timeline, while the minister’s statement described a near-term expectation for conditional certification.
The corrective work must address the expired certification, the missing emergency plan and the limits on firefighting for twin-aisle aircraft. Lebanon’s regulator also faces the inspector shortage, while the accident-investigation authority remains to be fully established with independent status and defined duties.
