Superjumbo’s first revenue flight to Lebanon lands in Beirut

Beirut: An Emirates Airline superjumbo jet has landed at Beirut’s international airport as Lebanon looks to sustain a revival of its tourism industry.

The double-decker Airbus A380 plane is the first to arrive to Lebanon on a flight carrying paying passengers. Emirates says it is examining whether Lebanon’s only commercial airport has the facilities to support the behemoth jet, which can be configured to carry over 600 passengers.

Lebanon’s airport is over capacity. It was designed to serve 6 million passengers a year but in 2017 it saw more than 8 million pass through its doors.

A surge in passengers points to a revival of Lebanon’s tourism industry after a protracted depression owing to the war in neighbouring Syria and political uncertainty at home.