Rene Mouawad Air Base (Arabic: مطار الرئيس الشهيد رينيه معوض‎ Matar ar-Ra'is ash-Shahid Rinih Mu'awwad), formerly and still sometimes known as Kleyate Airport (مطار القليعات, Matar al-Qulay`at), used to be a military-civil joint airport in northern Lebanon, located near the town of Kleyate (also spelled Al Qulay`at, Qulayaat or El Qlaïaat) and 6 km from the Lebanese-Syrian border.

History

In the early 1960's, the air base was a small airport owned by an oil company, who used small IPC airplanes for transporting its engineers, staff and workers between Lebanon and the Arab countries. In 1966, the Lebanese Army took control of the airport and started expanding and developing its technological capabilities. It later became one of the most modernized air bases in the region. According to an agreement signed by the Lebanese and French republic, a number of Mirage aircraft were supplied to the air force and pilots and technicians were sent to France to continue some courses related to the specified planes. In the beginning of 1968, the military personnel finished their courses abroad and returned to Lebanon, with some pilots and technicians being transferred from Rayak Air Base to the Kleyate base. In April of the same year, two aircraft, flown by Lebanese pilots, arrived to Lebanon and other non-stop flights continued until June 1969.

Later during the Lebanese Civil War period, flights were significantly drawn down and the aircraft were kept in storage. In November 1989, the Lebanese parliament met at the airport after the Taif Agreement and elected Rene Mouawad president. Having been assassinated in Beirut seventeen days later, the airport was later renamed in his honor, by a decree from the Lebanese parliament, and thus the airbase was established and became under the control of the Lebanese Air Force (in regards to the equipment and facilities) and under the jurisdiction of the North regional command (in regards to defense and order).

In the 1990s Middle East Airlines ran flights between this air base and Beirut to serve Tripoli and the surrounding area.

On July 13, 2006, the Israeli Air Force bombed the air base during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict. The airport has since been repaired and in service, mainly by the Lebanese Air Force, although domestic flights may be flown in the near future connecting Beirut and Tripoli.

Mission

The mission of the air base includes:

• Defending all the facilities located in the air base and impose constant readiness for missions given by the military command.
• Supplying food for the military personnel and all deployed units in the region, in addition to supplying medical and social service for the military health care beneficiaries .
• Making patrols in the area of workspace.
• Supplying military vehicles with lubricants.
• Undergoing rescue and development programs.

The content above was published at Airports-Worldwide.com in 2010.
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