When opposition forces laid siege to Rafik Hariri International Airport south of Beirut and settled in for a long stay, March 14 MPs were quick to offer the airport at Kleiaat as a backup. But how easy would it be for Kleiaat to fill Beirut’s shoes?

Future MP Mohammad Qabbani’s declaration that Kleiaat could be ready to go within days is a serious exaggeration. Kleiaat is currently a “non-instrument approach” airport, meaning pilots must manually land the plane with only their own vision to guide them. “CAT-1” airports, such as Beirut International, allow for pilots to fly on instruments up to a “decision point” altitude of 100 meters, after which they must manually land the aircraft. CAT-3 airports, such as London Heathrow, allow for a plane to proceed all the way to touchdown on instruments alone.

Originally part of the 1950s-era Iraqi Petroleum Corporation pipeline project Kleiaat was built to British standards, taking into account the prevailing winds and using local landmarks to aid pilots landing. The islands off the coast of Tripoli serve as the point of final approach for landing runs onto the airbase from the sea side.

But the field at Kleiaat suffers from another big problem: While the approach to the airstrip from the sea is easy, the approach from land is another story. Kleiaat is located on the Lebanese coast just a couple kilometers north of the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp, and just south of the border with Syria. Without a very tight turn over Mt. Lebanon, planes arriving to or departing from the airport must enter Syrian airspace. Given the current situation, this could be a delicate question for airlines operating out of Kleiaat.

Aviation experts familiar with the airport speaking to NOW Lebanon noted that, in addition to the lack of navigation systems at the airport, there was an absence of buses for passengers, baggage handling facilities, or taxiing and ground control facilities. Given a few weeks such equipment and supplies could in theory be moved in from Beirut’s airport, but this would now require at least the tacit ascent of the armed partisans surrounding it. It could be possible to ship some equipment from overseas, but this would also be a laborious and expensive process, especially with the larger machines and vehicles necessary.

One aviation expert commented, “The best analogy is, say you want to cook for a restaurant. You have a room which we can call a kitchen with nothing in it, and you have a kitchen that's fully equipped. To make this first room a kitchen you have to practically bring everything from the other room to make it a kitchen.”

For now, it seems, government proposals to move Beirut’s air traffic to Kleiaat are more political than practical. Kleiaat could prove a vital backup in the case of an extended conflict, but as a real replacement for a commercial airport on the level of  Beirut’s, it falls far short. But if, as seems quite possible, the conflict does drag on, making that move earlier rather than later would be a very smart move.