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The arrivals hall at Beirut International Airport. (Credit: João Sousa/L’Orient Today) Add as preferred on Google BEIRUT — After several hours without power on Wednesday, Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport had its electricity supply from state-owned Electricité du Liban (EDL) restored that evening, the airport’s director general, Mohammad Shatila, confirmed Thursday to L’Orient-Le Jour. “The company eventually responded to our calls and informed us that a major blackout in the country had caused the several-hour outage,” he said, adding that he was not convinced by this explanation. According to the state-run National News Agency (NNA), the airport was operating normally on Thursday, with air traffic unaffected.On Wednesday, the country’s only operational airport went several hours without electricity from the public grid, relying on generators to remain operational. The outage raised questions, particularly as EDL has given public administrations with unpaid electricity bills until Monday to settle their dues or face disconnection. EDL’s board announced last Friday that teams would begin cutting power to delinquent public administrations and institutions on the morning of Nov. 2, despite repeated warnings. Water authorities are also at risk, potentially disrupting water supplies, along with many other public administrations. Public hospitals are exempt.Shatila remains skeptical of EDL’s explanation for Wednesday’s outage and wonders whether it was instead a “veiled warning” ahead of Monday’s deadline. “EDL did not answer our calls for several hours, and when it finally did, it was in response to our statement and our appearances in the media. This behavior contrasts with outages caused by technical faults in the past, when EDL would inform us immediately and keep us updated on when power would be restored.”Asked by L’OLJ to clarify, a source at EDL said only that “power was not deliberately cut at Beirut airport” on Wednesday, adding that the company would release any further information later. The source also stressed that Monday’s deadline for disconnections over unpaid bills applies to all public administrations that have not settled their dues, not just the airport.In a statement, EDL said the outage “was caused by a failure of the communication systems at the telephone exchanges.” It explained that these systems serve a temporary control center at the main Jamhour substation, from which the electricity grid is now managed following the complete destruction of the National Control Center in the Aug. 4, 2020, Beirut port explosion. The communications failure delayed the restoration of service because telephone communications were lost. EDL said the problem had been resolved and the airport’s operations had returned to normal.Airport’s revenues go to the TreasuryWith Monday’s deadline approaching, Shatila made no secret of his concerns. “There is only one operational airport in this country, and they want to take it out of service or put it in danger. If that happens, we will have no choice but to suspend our services, as our emergency generator system cannot power the airport for more than a few hours.”Shatila said the airport cannot pay its outstanding bills directly to EDL, even if it wanted to. “Beirut airport generated $330 million last year, but this sum is transferred directly to the Treasury, so it is up to the Finance Ministry to pay our bills,” he said.In the meantime, the airport administration has contacted Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Transport and Public Works Minister Fayez Rasamny to find a solution before Monday’s deadline. Start your mornings with The Morning Brief, our flagship newsletter that brings you the latest from Lebanon and the region. Enjoy 7 days of free access when you create your account. Email Address Password I would like to receive special offers from L'Orient Today as well as selections of the best articles. Register By creating an account, you agree to the terms and conditions of use and our privacy policy. Register Or register with: Facebook
Already have an account? Login here Log in to your account to see the results of the polls E-mail Password Log in I forgot my password Log in with Facebook Log in with Google BEIRUT — After several hours without power on Wednesday, Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport had its electricity supply from state-owned Electricité du Liban (EDL) restored that evening, the airport’s director general, Mohammad Shatila, confirmed Thursday to L’Orient-Le Jour. “The company eventually responded to our calls and informed us that a major blackout in the country had caused the several-hour outage,” he said, adding that he was not convinced by this explanation. According to the state-run National News Agency (NNA), the airport was operating normally on Thursday, with air traffic unaffected.On Wednesday, the country’s only operational airport went several hours without electricity from the public grid, relying on generators to remain operational. The outage raised questions, particularly as EDL has given... You have reached your article limitStay informed about a Middle East in crisis.Subscribe for $0.5/month for the first 3 months. Subscribe now Log in This article is only available to L’Orient Today subscribers. Subscribe now Log in Create a free account to continue reading this article. You’ll also receive The Morning Brief, our must-read daily digest of Middle East news. Opt out anytime Email Address Password Email Address Password I would like to receive special offers from L'Orient Today as well as selections of the best articles. Register By creating an account, you agree to the terms and conditions of use and our privacy policy. Register Or register with: Facebook
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