Lebanon's Ministry of Public Works and Transport has awarded the contract to operate and invest in Rene Mouawad Airport to Sky Lounge Services, advancing a long-delayed plan to bring the country's second civilian airport back into service. Public Works and Transport Minister Fayez Rasamny announced the result of the public tender for the facility, located in Qleyaat in the northern district of Akkar.
The ministry said the award followed procedures set out in the Public Procurement Law, citing transparency and competitive bidding. It described the outcome as a step that safeguards the interests of the Lebanese state while securing operational and investment terms for the site.
How the Tender Was Decided
The bidding process was opened publicly under the supervision of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport. Officials credited sustained follow-up by Minister Rasamny, who has prioritized the Rene Mouawad file since taking office. The ministry framed the contract as evidence that Lebanese institutions can deliver strategic infrastructure projects through legal channels.
What Sky Lounge Services Brings to Qleyaat
Sky Lounge Services is a licensed Lebanese fixed-base operator already established at Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport, where it handles private jets, charter flights, aircraft management, and ground services for business aviation. Its core business sits in the general aviation segment rather than scheduled commercial flights, which gives it operational experience but leaves open questions about how Qleyaat will be developed for wider passenger traffic.
The ministry has not yet published the financial terms of the concession or a detailed timeline for first operations. Earlier this year, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam reported that the airport would be reactivated as a civilian facility within twelve months, a target that places the first phase of works inside the current cycle.
A Lift for Akkar and Northern Lebanon
The airport sits in Qleyaat, an area that has had limited transport infrastructure since the civil war effectively shut the runway. The ministry expects the project to channel tourism flows toward the north, support cargo and logistics activity, and ease pressure on Rafic Hariri International Airport, which currently absorbs all of Lebanon's scheduled traffic.
Local economic effects are expected through direct jobs at the airport and indirect demand for hospitality, ground transport, and freight services across Akkar. The Ministry of Public Works and Transport thanked residents of the region for their role in advancing what it called a national development initiative.
The relaunch of Rene Mouawad Airport has been discussed in Lebanon for years without progress on the ground. The contract award gives the file a contractual anchor and a named operator, with construction and certification milestones still to be set.
