Number of passengers at Beirut airport up 15%

The number of passengers at Rafik Hariri International Airport increased 15 percent in the first five months of 2012, compared to the same period last year, said a report issued by the Directorate-General of Aviation Thursday. The number of passengers during the period, the report added, increased to 2,204,540, up by 330,681 passengers. In May, passengers increased 5.5 percent compared to the same month in 2011, the report said. In May, the number of incoming passengers increased 5.94 percent while outbound passengers increased by 4.8 percent. The number of transit passengers soared 18.83 percent in the same month. Meanwhile, arrival and departure flights at the airport increased by 6.11 and 6.17 percent respectively. Air shipping through the airport also increased as exports and imports rose 10 and 13.33 percent respectively. The increase in the airport’s activity came despite reports of a dwindling number of tourists entering the country in 2012. By The Daily Star