Bir Hassan Airfield
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Bir Hassan Airfield مطار بير حسن | |
|---|---|
| Summary | |
| Airport type | Defunct |
| Owner | Lebanese Government |
| Operator | French Mandate authorities / Lebanese Air Force |
| Serves | Beirut |
| Location | Bir Hassan, Dahieh, Beirut Governorate, Lebanon |
| Opened | 6 June 1939 |
| Closed | 1950 |
| Passenger services ceased | 1950 |
| Built | 1939 |
| In use | 1939–1950 |
| Occupants | French Vichy authorities, British & Free French Forces (WWII), later Lebanese Air Force |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 () |
| Coordinates | 33°51′23″N 35°29′19″E / 33.85639°N 35.48861°E |
| Map | |
  Bir Hassan Airfield Shown within Lebanon | |
Bir Hassan Airfield was Beirut, Lebanon first commercial airport, as well as Beirut's first military airfield before the construction of Old Beirut International Airport, and later the new more modern Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport and Beirut Air Base.
Bir Hassan Airfield was located a short distance south of Beirut city center in the sandy area of Bir Hassan, Dahieh and a short distance north of the current modern Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport. Bir Hassan Airfield was established on June 6, 1939, by the French mandate authorities of Lebanon, before Lebanon was yet an independent country. Bir Hassan included a passenger terminal, air sheds[clarification needed] and a control tower. During World War II, Bir Hassan air field was used as a military airfield by the French Vichy authorities of Greater Lebanon.[1] Then when the allies recaptured Lebanon in Operation Exporter in the Syria–Lebanon campaign, the British occupation forces along with the Free French Forces expanded and transformed Bir Hassan Airfield into a class A airfield to match their needs for a modern military field and to play a role in the broader war effort. After World War II Bir Hassan airfield was reactivated for civilian use used as a commercial international airport, but the airport retained some of it wartime infrastructure, with some WW2 - era structures remaining visible.[citation needed]
The following Royal Air Force squadrons were here at RAF Beirut at some point:
- No. 80 Squadron RAF detachment during 1941[2]
- No. 127 Squadron RAF detachment between 1943 and 1944[3]
- No. 208 Squadron RAF detachment during 1943[4]
- No. 260 Squadron RAF detachment during 1941[5]
- No. 261 Squadron RAF detachment during 1942[5]