Middle East Airlines facts for kids
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| Founded | 31 May 1945 |
|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 1 January 1946 |
| AOC # | MEA-A001 |
| Hubs | Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport |
| Frequent-flyer program | Cedar Miles |
| Alliance | SkyTeam |
| Subsidiaries |
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| Fleet size | 25 (23 commercial airliners + 2 private jets) |
| Destinations | 33 |
| Parent company | Banque du Liban |
| Headquarters | Beirut, Lebanon |
| Key people | Mohammad El Hout (chairman & director general) |
| Profit |  US$-45,000,000 (2021) |
| Employees | 5000+ (MEA, MEAG, MEAS, LBACC, MASCO) (2023) |
Middle East Airlines – Air Liban S.A.L. (which means "Middle East Airlines – Lebanese Air Transport"), often called Middle East Airlines (MEA), is the main airline of Lebanon. Its main office is in Beirut, close to Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport.
MEA flies to many countries around the world. It has scheduled international flights to places in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. All these flights start from its main base at Rafic Hariri International Airport.
Middle East Airlines is also a part of the SkyTeam airline group. This means MEA works with other airlines to make travel easier for passengers. MEA joined SkyTeam on June 28, 2012. It was the 17th airline to join this big alliance.
Contents
The Story of Middle East Airlines
MEA was started on May 31, 1945, by Saeb Salam and Fawzi EL-Hoss. They got help from BOAC to get started. Flights began on January 1, 1946. The first flights were between Beirut and Nicosia. Soon after, they added flights to Iraq, Egypt, and Syria.
In 1949, Pan American World Airways became involved with MEA. Later, in 1955, BOAC bought 49% of MEA's shares. MEA kept growing and adding new types of planes. In 1963, MEA joined with Air Liban. This made Air France a part owner for a while. The airline's full name became Middle East Airlines – Air Liban.
MEA also took over another airline, Lebanese International Airways, in 1963. The airline kept getting newer planes. These included Sud Aviation Caravelles, Boeing 720Bs, and Boeing 707-320Cs.
The airline faced challenges, like the 1967 Arab–Israeli war. In 1968, an attack on Beirut Airport damaged many of MEA's planes. Despite this, MEA quickly got new aircraft to continue flying. A Boeing 747-200B started flying in 1975. It flew on the Beirut–London route.
During the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1991), MEA had to change its flights often. This was because Beirut International Airport sometimes closed. But the airline kept flying whenever it could. In the 1990s and early 2000s, MEA updated its fleet with Airbus A310-300s, A321-200s, and A330-200s.
In 2010, MEA added self-check-in machines at Beirut Airport. The airline also plans to offer some of its shares to the public. This is part of a plan to make the airline fully private in the future. Today, the central bank of Lebanon, Banque du Liban, owns most of MEA (99.50%).
Where MEA Flies
Middle East Airlines flies to 38 different places. These destinations are in the Middle East, North America, Europe, Africa, and Oceania.
Some cities, like Medina, are served only at certain times of the year. Mykonos is also a seasonal flight destination.
MEA works with other airlines through "codeshare agreements." This means you can sometimes book a flight with MEA, but fly on a plane operated by another airline. This helps passengers have more choices for their travel.
- Air Canada
- Air Europa
- Air France
- Czech Airlines
- Etihad Airways
- Gulf Air
- ITA Airways
- Kuwait Airways
- Qatar Airways
- Saudia
- Sky Express
- TAROM
- Turkish Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
MEA also works with SNCF (French National Railways) for their tgvair program. This lets you book a train and flight together.
MEA's Planes
MEA (not including Cedar Executive) uses only Airbus planes. As of March 2023[update], their fleet includes these aircraft:
Current Fleet
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | E | Total | ||||||
| Airbus A320-200 | 9 | — | 24 | 102 | 126 | OD-MRL, currently painted in Retro livery, is the 5,000th Airbus A320 family aircraft built. | ||
| Airbus A321neo | 10 | 1 | 28 | 132 | 160 | T7-ME3 is the 10,000th Airbus A320 family aircraft built. | ||
| Airbus A321XLR | — | 4 | — | — | 150 | Three to be delivered in 2024 and one in 2025. | ||
| Airbus A330-200 | 3 | — | 44 | 200 | 244 | |||
| Airbus A330-900 | — | 4 | 42 | 238 | 280 | Deliveries from 2026 to 2028. | ||
| Cedar Executive Fleet | ||||||||
| Embraer Legacy 500 | 2 | — | 12 | — | 12 | OD-CXJ and OD-CXL | ||
| Total | 24 | 9 | ||||||
Past Planes (Historic Fleet)
Over the years, MEA has used many different types of planes. Here are some of them:
- Airbus A300B4
- Airbus A300-600
- Airbus A310-200
- Airbus A310-300
- Airbus A321-200
- Avro York
- Boeing 707-320C
- Boeing 720B
- Boeing 747-100
- Boeing 747-200B
- Convair CV-990A
- de Havilland Comet
- Douglas DC-3
- Douglas DC-4
- Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle
- Vickers VC10
- Vickers Viscount
New Planes for the Future
Middle East Airlines is always looking to update its fleet. In 2013, they ordered ten new Airbus A320neo family aircraft. The first of these, an A321neo, arrived in July 2020. Another A321neo delivered in October 2020 was special because it was the 10,000th A320 family plane ever made!
MEA also ordered four Airbus A330-900s in 2018. These larger planes will be delivered between 2026 and 2028. In 2019, MEA was the first airline to order the A321XLR. These four new planes are planned for flights to Africa and Asia.
Cedar Miles: MEA's Frequent Flyer Program
In 2011, Middle East Airlines updated its frequent-flyer program called Cedar Miles. This program has four levels: Blue Cedar, Silver Cedar, Golden Cedar, and President's Club.
Members at Silver Cedar, Golden Cedar, and President's Club levels get special benefits. These include access to the Cedar Lounge at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport. They can also use lounges at other airports where MEA flies. Golden Cedar and President's Club members get even more perks, like guaranteed economy seat reservations.
You can earn and use Cedar Miles on all MEA flights. You can also earn and use them on flights with Air France, KLM, and Qatar Airways. Plus, you can earn miles when staying at Rotana Hotels or renting cars from Hertz.
MEA's Other Companies (Subsidiaries)
MEA owns several other companies that work on their own. These companies help with different parts of the airline business:
- Cedar Executive
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- Started in 2016, Cedar Executive is a private jet service. It's based at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport. It offers business flights across Europe and the Middle East using two Embraer Legacy 500 jets. Customers get a private lounge and a driver service.
- Middle East Airlines Ground Handling (MEAG)
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- Founded in 1999, MEAG handles most of the ground services at Beirut International Airport. This includes things like baggage handling and guiding planes. MEAG also runs a special service for private planes called Cedar Jet Center.
- Middle East Airports Services (MEAS)
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- MEAS started in 1998. It's in charge of keeping Beirut International Airport running smoothly. Their jobs range from cleaning the airport buildings to cleaning the runways.
- Mideast Aircraft Services Company (MASCO)
MEA also owns 77.5% of the Lebanese Beirut Airport Catering Company (LBACC). This company provides all the food and drinks for flights at Beirut International Airport.
Past Incidents
A few incidents have happened with MEA planes over the years:
- On July 24, 1950, an Air Liban Douglas DC-3 was shot at by an Israeli plane. The DC-3 landed safely, but three passengers were sadly killed.
- On January 6, 1952, an Air Liban plane crashed during takeoff from Beirut Airport. Everyone on board survived.
- On September 29, 1958, a Middle East Airlines Avro York plane disappeared over the Mediterranean Sea.
- On February 1, 1963, a MEA plane was involved in a mid-air crash with a Turkish Air Force plane. All 14 people on the MEA plane died, along with others on the ground.
- On April 17, 1964, Flight 444 crashed into the sea near Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. All 49 people on board died. The reason for the crash was not found.
- On December 28, 1968, seven MEA aircraft were destroyed in an attack by Israeli forces at Beirut International Airport.
- On January 1, 1976, Flight 438 broke apart in the air after a bomb exploded. All 81 people on board were killed.
- On June 12, 1982, and again in August 1982, several MEA planes were destroyed during attacks at Beirut Airport.
- On August 21, 1985, two MEA Boeing 720s were destroyed by shelling at Beirut International Airport.
- On January 8, 1987, a Boeing 707-323C was destroyed by shelling after landing at Beirut International Airport.
- On November 16, 2001, an Airbus A321-200 was damaged during landing in Cairo. This same plane was later destroyed by a bomb in 2015 as Metrojet Flight 9268.
Images for kids
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A Middle East Airlines Convair 990A at London Heathrow Airport in 1970
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A Middle East Airlines Boeing 747-200 in 1984
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A Middle East Airlines - Air Liban A321neo in the current livery at London Heathrow Airport.
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A Middle East Airlines - Air Liban Airbus A330-200 taking off at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
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A Middle East Airlines - Air Liban Airbus A320-200 in the SkyTeam livery landing at Geneva Airport.
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An MEA aircraft was destroyed during a confrontation between the Israelis and the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1982
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See also
In Spanish: Middle East Airlines para niños
- Lebanese identity card
- List of airports in Lebanon
- Lebanese passport
- SkyTeam
- Transport in Lebanon
- Visa policy of Lebanon
- Visa requirements for Lebanese citizens
