Qeiaat Airfield was originally built by the French army in 1938. In the early 1960s, the airbase was a small airport owned by the Tripoli oil company, who used small IPC airplanes for transporting its engineers, staff and workers between Lebanon and the
Arab countries. In 1966, the
Lebanese Army took control of the airport beginning the expansion and development of its technological capabilities. It later became one of the most modernized air bases in the region. According to an agreement signed by the Lebanese and
French republic, a number of
Dassault Mirage III aircraft were supplied to the air force which saw pilots and technicians being sent to France to continue some courses related to the specified planes. In the beginning of 1968, the military personnel finished their courses abroad and returned to Lebanon, with some pilots and technicians being transferred from
Rayak Air Base to the Kleyate base. In April of the same year, two aircraft, flown by Lebanese pilots, arrived to Lebanon and other non-stop flights continued until June 1969. Later during the
Lebanese Civil War period, flights were significantly reduced and the aircraft were kept in storage. In November 1989, the Lebanese
parliament met at the airport after the
Taif Agreement and elected
René Moawad president. Having been
assassinated in
Beirut seventeen days later, the airport was later renamed in his honor, by a decree from the
Lebanese parliament, and thus the airbase was established and became under the control of the
Lebanese Air Force (in regards to the equipment and facilities) and under the jurisdiction of the North regional command (in regards to defense and order). On July 13, 2006, the
Israeli Air Force bombed the airbase during the
2006 Israel Lebanon conflict. The airport has since been repaired and in service, mainly by the Lebanese Air Force, although domestic flights may be flown in the near future connecting Beirut and Tripoli. To date, however, there has been no discussion on the matter. Currently very little military activity is going on at Rene Mouawad Air Base, currently
SA 330 Puma helicopters are stationed and operated from there In 2025, the Lebanese government advanced plans to rehabilitate and reopen the airport as a second international airport, with work expected to begin in early 2026. ==Future development==