Beirut air traffic up 27 percent

Assas Koteit, the president of the International Civil Aviation Organization, said on September 2 that there had been a 27 percent increase this year in air traffic at Beirut International Airport. More than 2 million passengers have used the facility.

Koteit, who met with Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, said he discussed the cabinet's approval of draft legislation to reorganize the Civil Aviation Authority and make it a more independent body called the Higher Committee for Civil Aviation.

The two men also discussed safety issues at the airport.