Beirut Rafic Hariri
International Airport

The only airport in Lebanon, which is the fact that governs every flight plan into it: there is no domestic alternate, so the alternate is Larnaca and the fuel is carried to reach it. Three long runways, a general aviation terminal, customs at all hours, and a landing permit and parking slot that must be in hand before the aircraft moves. Our Beirut private jet guide covers the runways, handling, the permit, parking and customs for crews and charter clients.

Primary AirportBeirut (BEY)
Peak SeasonJune to September
Time ZoneEET / EEST

Reviewed by Kevin Singh, Founder · Fact-checked against Icarus Jet fleet and airport operations data · Last updated 15 September 2026

The Airport

Beirut at a glance

Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport carries the ICAO code OLBA and the identifier BEY. Three runways of 12,467, 11,138 and 10,663 feet at 87 feet elevation on the coast in the southern suburbs, about 5.6 miles from the centre of Beirut.

It is open 24 hours with customs and immigration on the field, it has a dedicated general aviation terminal, and every private or charter flight needs a Lebanese landing permit and a parking slot before it departs for Beirut.

ICAO / IATAOLBA / BEY
Elevation87 ft
Runways12,467 ft, 11,138 ft and 10,663 ft03/21, 16/34 and 17/35
SurfaceConcrete and asphaltThree runways, 148 ft wide
FuelJet A-1
Fire categoryConfirmed per operationWidebody scheduled traffic daily
PermissionLanding permit and parking slotLebanese DGCA, both mandatory
Ground handlingGeneral aviation terminalCedar Jet Center, EAS and others
Opened23 April 1954Named for Rafic Hariri in 2005
RoleThe only airport in LebanonNo domestic alternate
Position5.6 miles south of central BeirutSouthern suburbs, on the coast
Time zoneEET / EEST (UTC+2 / +3)

Facts checked against the Lebanese Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport publications and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation permit requirements, plus Icarus Jet operations data.

Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY / OLBA): the Beirut coastline from the air
Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY / OLBA). The Beirut coastline from the air.

The Role

One airport, one country

Rafic Hariri International is the only airport in Lebanon. For most destinations that sentence is trivia; for flight planning it is the governing fact, because it means there is no domestic alternate. If Beirut is unavailable on the day, for weather, a closure or an airspace notice, the aircraft is not diverting to another Lebanese field. It is leaving the country.

So the alternate is selected across a border before the aircraft departs, and the fuel is carried to reach it. Larnaca, about 140 nautical miles west, is the standing alternate: open 24 hours, no permit for the diversion, and a 9,823 foot runway. The desk files the Larnaca alternate with the Beirut permit and confirms handling at both ends, so a diversion is a change of plan rather than a scramble.

Operating

The permit, the slot and the terminal

A landing permit and an airport parking slot are both mandatory, issued through the Lebanese Directorate General of Civil Aviation, and the permit is valid for 24 hours around the schedule. The file is the full flight schedule, entry and exit points and routing, crew details with passport copies, and the aircraft documents: registration, airworthiness, insurance, noise certificate and radio licence, plus the AOC for a charter operator. Private aircraft do not need an AOC. The DGCA works to a daytime window, so the desk files on the first working day the dates are known.

Business aircraft use the general aviation terminal, open since 2005, with Cedar Jet Center, Executive Aircraft Services, Sky Lounge and Optimal Lebanese Business Aviation among the handlers. Customs and immigration run 24 hours. Jet A-1 is available at all hours, and the desk arranges the uplift with the handler rather than on arrival. The airport carries daily widebody scheduled traffic, so the runways are never the limit; the permit and the slot are.

History

A gateway that has learned to keep operating

The airport opened on 23 April 1954 on the coast south of the city and took the name of former prime minister Rafic Hariri in 2005. It has been attacked, closed and rebuilt more than once, the terminal took moderate damage in the 2020 port explosion, and it has kept operating through most of what the region has thrown at it, with Middle East Airlines based on the field throughout.

For the desk that history has a practical meaning: the airspace and the insurance position change with the regional situation. Before quoting a Beirut sector we check the current notices, the war risk cover the operator holds, and whether the scheduled carriers are still flying, and we plan the Larnaca alternate with the fuel to reach it on every file.

Nearby

Beirut and the fields around it

Beirut is planned with its alternate. Larnaca first, then the Gulf and Egypt sectors the desk flies most from the Levant.

Larnaca is the alternate on every Beirut file and about 40 minutes away. Athens, Cairo and Sphinx are the Mediterranean sectors, one to two hours. Riyadh, Jeddah and the two Dubai fields are the Gulf business sectors, two to three hours, each with its own permit filed alongside the Lebanese one.

Questions

Beirut, answered

Can private jets fly into Beirut?

Yes. Beirut Rafic Hariri International takes business aircraft of every size on three long runways, with a dedicated general aviation terminal, handling agents and customs and immigration open 24 hours. What it needs is a Lebanese landing permit and a parking slot before the flight, and an alternate planned outside Lebanon.

Do I need a landing permit for Beirut?

Yes, for private and charter flights alike. The Lebanese Directorate General of Civil Aviation issues the landing permit and the airport parking slot, and both are mandatory. The desk files the schedule, routing, crew and aircraft documents and holds the permit before the aircraft is positioned.

How much notice does a Beirut permit need?

The DGCA works to a daytime window and the permit is issued around a specific schedule, so the desk files on the first working day the dates are known and asks for a few working days. A short-notice request can sometimes be met, but a change to the schedule after the permit is issued means a new permit.

What documents does the permit need?

The full flight schedule, entry and exit points with the routing, crew details with passport copies, and the aircraft documents: certificate of registration, certificate of airworthiness, insurance, noise certificate and radio licence. A charter operator adds its AOC; a private aircraft does not need one.

Why does the alternate matter so much at Beirut?

Because Rafic Hariri is the only airport in Lebanon. If it is unavailable on the day, the aircraft leaves the country, so the alternate is chosen across a border and the fuel is carried to reach it. Larnaca, about 140 nautical miles west and open 24 hours, is the standing alternate on the desk’s files.

How long are the runways at Beirut?

Runway 03/21 is 3,800 metres, about 12,467 feet; 16/34 is 3,395 metres; 17/35 is 3,250 metres, all 45 metres wide, at 87 feet elevation. Nothing in business aviation is limited by the runways, and the field takes widebody airliners daily.

Is ground handling mandatory at Beirut?

Business aircraft are handled through the general aviation terminal by one of the appointed agents, among them Cedar Jet Center, Executive Aircraft Services, Sky Lounge and Optimal Lebanese Business Aviation. The desk appoints the handler with the permit, the parking slot and the fuel.

Is fuel available at Beirut?

Yes, Jet A-1 at all hours, arranged through the handler and the fuel supplier ahead of arrival rather than on the day. The desk builds the uplift into the trip so the departure is not waiting on a truck.

How far is the airport from the city?

About 9 kilometres, 5.6 miles, south of the centre in the southern suburbs, on the coast. Allow 20 to 40 minutes by road depending on the hour, and the handler arranges the car to the terminal door.

Is Beirut open 24 hours?

Yes. The airport, the control tower, customs and immigration all run 24 hours. The civil aviation authority that issues the permit keeps daytime hours, which is why the permit, not the airport, sets the timing.

What about the security situation and insurance?

It changes, and the desk checks it on every file: the current notices for Lebanese airspace, the war risk cover the operator holds, and whether the scheduled carriers are still flying. When the position changes, the quote and the alternate plan change with it, and we tell you before you commit.

What time zone is Lebanon in?

Eastern European Time, EET in winter and EEST in summer, UTC+2 and UTC+3. The desk files the permit and the parking slot in UTC and confirms the local times back to you, so the offset never lands on the pickup.

Get Your Number

Request a Beirut charter

Tell us the dates, the passengers and the sector. We file the Lebanese permit and the parking slot, plan the Larnaca alternate with the fuel to reach it, and confirm handling at both ends before the aircraft is positioned.

Prefer to talk? Call +1 888 277 7203 or email charter@icarusjet.com. The desk is staffed 24/7, or send the trip online.

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