BEIRUT, June 18 : Lebanon Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri on Tuesday called for parliament to quickly approve the country’s 2019 budget and urged his coalition government to avoid internal disputes.
The cabinet this month agreed a budget plan that shrinks the projected fiscal deficit by 4 percentage points from last year to 7.6% by cutting spending and raising taxes and other fees.
“What I want during the debate is for us to be responsible and united, and not contradictory,” Hariri said in a statement, addressing cabinet ministers as to their comportment during the parliament debate.
Parliament’s finance committee is debating the draft budget and has suggested amendments, local newspapers reported. It will then put the budget to the full assembly to ratify it.
Parliament is mostly composed of parties that are also present in the coalition government and which supported the budget there.
Since the budget was agreed there have been fierce arguments between parties in the coalition over several subjects, though these have not targeted the budget.
Lebanon has one of the world’s heaviest debt burdens, equivalent to about 150% of GDP, and the International Monetary Fund has urged it to cut spending.
“We have held 19 cabinet meetings to agree on this draft budget and these sessions were not for fun, but for deep, detailed debate over every clause and every idea,” Hariri said.
“For this reason, I consider it the responsibility of each of us in government to have ministerial solidarity...to defend in parliament the decision that we have taken together,” he added.
After the 2019 budget is agreed, the cabinet must quickly start working on the 2020 budget and on approving the first phase of a program of investments toward which foreign donors have offered $11 billion in project financing. (Reporting by Angus McDowall, editing by Ed Osmond)
Lebanon’s Hariri calls for cabinet solidarity in budget debate
Lebanon’s Hariri calls for cabinet solidarity in budget debate
- The PM said cabinet ministers need to be united and responsible
- Lebanon’s debt is almost 150% of its GDP
Oman airport passenger traffic rises 2.8% in 2025
RIYADH: Passenger traffic through airports in Oman increased by 2.8 percent in 2025, reaching 14.9 million travelers by the end of December, up from 14.5 million passengers a year earlier, according to data released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information and reported by Oman News Agency.
Despite the rise in passenger volumes, total flight movements across the country’s airports declined by 2.8 percent to 104,510 flights in 2025, compared with 107,546 flights during the same period in 2024, indicating higher load factors and network optimization by airlines.
At Muscat International Airport, international flights fell by 4.5 percent to 82,913 in 2025 from 86,797 a year earlier. Nevertheless, international passenger numbers rose by 1.3 percent to 11.8 million, compared with 11.6 million in 2024. Domestic activity at Muscat showed stronger momentum, with flights increasing 6.6 percent to 9,606 from 9,009, while domestic passenger numbers climbed 12 percent to 1.3 million, up from 1.1 million.
At Salalah Airport, international flights declined 2.4 percent to 4,886 in 2025, compared with 5,008 in 2024. International passenger numbers remained broadly stable at 678,591, slightly higher than 678,402 a year earlier. Domestic operations recorded robust growth, with flights rising 14.3 percent to 6,227 from 5,450 and passenger numbers increasing 17.7 percent to 1,023,529, up from 869,954.
Sohar Airport saw a sharp contraction in international traffic, as flights dropped 77.8 percent to 110 in 2025 from 495 in 2024. International passenger numbers plunged 99.1 percent to 390 travelers, compared with 44,897 a year earlier. Domestic flights at Sohar declined 9.1 percent to 150 from 165, while passenger numbers fell 21.8 percent to 18,247, down from 23,331.
At Duqm Airport, domestic flights edged down 0.6 percent to 618 in 2025 from 622 in 2024. Passenger numbers slipped marginally by 0.4 percent to 60,893, compared with 61,137 the previous year.
Overall, the figures reflect steady growth in passenger demand across Oman’s main airports, driven largely by domestic travel, even as airlines reduced flight frequencies during the year.
