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TOUCH BUYS NEW PREMISES FOR $75 MILLION
Touch, one of the two local mobile operators, has acquired its new premises located in Beirut Central District for $75 million, according the Media Office of the Minister of Telecommunications. Touch, which is owned by the Lebanese state and operated by Kuwait-based mobile telecommunications company Zain, has signed two agreements with the owner of the building. The agreements involved revoking the existing rent contract and replacing it with a purchase deal. The Media Office said that the building has become state property at a price that is a little bit higher than the total rent that was supposed to be paid. The overall value of the rent that Touch was supposed to pay over ten years was $70 million. The first installment of the rent that has been paid and that amounted to $6.4 million was considered as part of the down payment for the price of the building. The remaining amount will be settled in three installments until 2022.
L0919-21
AIRPORT FEES INCREASE ON BUSINESS AND FIRST CLASS TRAVEL
Fees for departing passengers using business and first class flights as well as private jet and yacht tickets have been increased, according to the approved budget law. The, Director of the Civil Aviation Authority. For trips with a final destination of over 900 km from Beirut, fees have increased from LL50,000 ($33) to LL150,000 ($110) for first class flights. It remained stable for economy and business tickets. Fees dropped for private jet and yacht tickets. For trips with final destinations below 900 km from Beirut, fees have increased to LL75,000 ($50) for business class tickets, LL 100,000 ($66) for first class tickets, and to LL150,000 ($100) for private jets. Some major airport destinations that do not exceed 900 km from Beirut include Egypt, Cyprus, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, excluding Istanbul, Baghdad and Erbil in Iraq. The fees will be paid when buying the tickets, according to Chehabeddine. Airline companies will transfer the fees every month to the Ministry of Finance. New LL10,000 ($6.6) fees were imposed on non-Lebanese land passengers when arriving to the country, to be paid as a stamp.
