Planes at Beirut's airport could be in danger after birds began flocking to a nearby rubbish dump, BBC reported quoting Lebanon's transport minister Yusef Fenianos .

Yusef Fenianos said the country faced an "emergency" as the birds continued to arrive in the area.

On Tuesday, a Middle East Airlines flight encountered a large flock of birds as it landed on the airport's west runway, local media report. Activists are calling for the dump to be closed before a plane crashes.

Costa Brava dump was created in March 2016, part of a temporary solution to the city's rubbish problem. But a planned waste processing facility on the Costa Brave site is yet to be built, allowing rubbish to build up as high as nine metres.

Environmentalists have for months warned the dump is attracting rodents and increasing numbers of birds, while in August, the Lebanese pilots' union warned of the possibility of the birds being sucked into airplane engines.

However, it appears to have taken until now for Mr Fenianos to go to Prime Minister Saad Hariri to urge action.