page_title: Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport
section_title: Lebanese Civil War
hierarchical_section_title: Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport / History / Lebanese Civil War
caption_attribution_description: Beirut Airport 1982. العربية: صورة لأحد طائرات مطار بيروت الدولي في عام 1982
context_page_description: Beirut International Airport is located 9 kilometres from the city center in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, and is the only operational commercial airport in the country. It is the hub for Lebanon's national carrier, Middle East Airlines. It is also the hub for the Lebanese charter carrier Wings of Lebanon, and was the hub for the Lebanese cargo carrier TMA cargo before its collapse.
  It is the main port of entry into the country along with the Port of Beirut. The airport is managed and operated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, which operates within the Ministry of Public Works and Transport. The DGCA is also responsible for operating the air traffic control at the airport as well as controlling Lebanon's airspace. DGCA duties include maintenance and general upkeep ranging from cleaning the terminal to de-rubberising the runways.
context_section_description: The airport lost its status as one of the premier hubs of the Middle East with the start of the 15-year-long Lebanese Civil War in April 1975 and lost virtually all of its airline services with the exception of two Lebanese carriers, Middle East Airlines and Trans Mediterranean Airways. Both airlines continued operating with the exception of certain periods of time when the airport itself was completely closed. Despite the conflict, the terminal was renovated in 1977, only to be badly damaged five years later by Israeli shelling during the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. The airport was the site of the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing, in which 241 American servicemen were killed. The airport's runways were renovated in 1982 and 1984.
caption: Beirut Airport in 1982
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