Capacity of new MEA cargo center is 165,000 tons

Middle East Airlines, the national air carrier, has inaugurated a new cargo center at its premises at the Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport (RHIA).

The $25 million project replaces an existing worn-down facility and has 2.5 times its storage capacity, reaching 165,000 tons of merchandise, according to Mohammad Hout, Chairman of MEA.

“The cargo center will be ready to operate this July,” said Hout.

The 20,000 square meter facility includes export and import warehouses of 5,000 and 10,000 m2, respectively.

The developed underground parking space fits 200 vehicles. A refrigerated space for storing meats and medicine was expanded to exceed 4,000 m2.

The center’s development was supervised by Middle East Airlines Ground Handling (MEAG), a fully-owned subsidiary of MEA and provides cargo services at RHIA. The project was executed by local company Soubra Metal Group.