Infrastructure in all its variations is vital to any country and in the 21st century that means having safe and reliable aviation links. We live in a complex, interconnected world and air travel – whether to carry passengers, cargo or humanitarian aid – is an essential requirement in the modern age. Yesterday The National highlighted serious safety concerns about Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport, another troubling reflection of how far Lebanon has been allowed to fall.
The country’s myriad economic and political problems have been well documented, and in January The National reported on how a landfill of rotting waste close to the capital’s airport was attracting seagulls that increased the risk of planes suffering a bird strike. But the fact that a pre-audit inspection carried out by the EU’s Aviation Safety Agency and International Civil Aviation Organisation has identified “systemic deficiencies” in the airport’s operations, particularly regarding air traffic control, is illustrative of the country’s malaise.
The importance of the airport to Lebanon’s people cannot be overstated. It is the primary link for the millions around the world who make up the country’s diaspora – a community that far outnumbers the estimated four million people who currently live in Lebanon. Many of the millions of Lebanese who arrive at Beirut’s main airport every year not only support family and the wider economy in the country through remittances and spending – they are regular visitors to a place that forms an irreplaceable part of their identity. The airport is also critical for thousands of Syrians who use it as an alternative starting point for journeys home.
Aside from passenger traffic, the airport is also an important cargo hub for the whole country. Concerns about the reliability and safety of operations there will do little to persuade businesses and investors that Lebanon is on any path but one to further decline. For this situation to change, decisive measures will have to be taken.
The inspection that formed the basis of the report’s findings was intended to offer guidance in preparation for a full audit of the airport, scheduled for next year. This week’s news, although bad, provides the Lebanese civil aviation authorities with an opportunity to address the gaps and weaknesses that have been found. Among these, air traffic control is perhaps the most pressing. The report said the “recruitment and retention of appropriately qualified and experienced” air traffic control staff was “a matter of utmost urgency”.
There is no shortage of bright, qualified Lebanese people who could take on these roles but the economic and political paralysis that has rendered the country almost unendurable for many citizens has driven away those with precisely the kind of skills needed to get the airport back on track. An anonymous source from the Lebanese civil aviation department told The National that air-traffic controllers tried over the years “to demand employment and training with all successive ministers to avoid this situation, in vain".
In the short term, outside assistance may be necessary. During a recent session of Parliament, Ali Hamie, Lebanon’s caretaker Public Works Minister, said the recruitment of air-traffic controllers from the ICAO to tackle the staff shortage, had been considered. This may be a necessary short-term development to prepare the airport for future inspections and to guarantee the safety of passengers and aircraft. In the long term, the airport could benefit from international input – many major airports across the world are operated successfully by consortiums that involve private companies and domestic or foreign governments.
If any lessons are to be learnt from the Beirut port blast from three years ago, it is that negligence puts people’s lives at risk. This week’s report has put the authorities in Lebanon on notice – it is now time for them to act.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
CREW
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Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
The bio
Favourite food: Japanese
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Favourite hobby: Football
Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough
Favourite country: UAE
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Our legal advisor
Rasmi Ragy is a senior counsel at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Prosecutor in Egypt with more than 40 years experience across the GCC.
Education: Ain Shams University, Egypt, in 1978.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
Squad
Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas)
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The permutations for UAE going to the 2018 World Cup finals
To qualify automatically
UAE must beat Iraq.
Australia must lose in Japan and at home to Thailand, with their losing margins and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.
Saudi Arabia must lose to Japan, with their losing margin and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.
To finish third and go into a play-off with the other third-placed AFC side for a chance to reach the inter-confederation play-off match
UAE must beat Iraq.
Saudi Arabia must lose to Japan, with their losing margin and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Teaching in coronavirus times
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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