Middle East Airlines
892238
222053781
2008-06-27T09:56:41Z
15.203.169.105
/* Fleet */
{{Infobox Airline
|airline = Middle East Airlines Air Liban <br> طيران الشرق الأوسط
|logo = MEA.png
|logo_size = 250
|IATA = ME
|ICAO = MEA
|callsign = CEDAR JET
|founded = 1945
|hubs = [[Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport]]
|focus_cities =
|frequent_flyer = Cedar Miles
|lounge = Cedar Lounge
|alliance = [[SkyTeam]] (Applied for Associate Member status sponsored by Air France, expected in 2008)
|fleet_size = 10 (+9 orders)
|destinations = 26
|parent = [[Banque du Liban|Banque du Liban SAL]]<REF>http://www.zawya.com/cm/profile.cfm/cid709899/</ref>
|headquarters = [[Beirut]], [[Lebanon]]
|key_people = Mohammad El-Hout ([[CEO]])
|website = http://www.mea.com.lb
}}
'''Middle East Airlines Air Liban SAL''' ([[Arabic language|Arabic]]: طيران الشرق الأوسط الخطوط الجوية اللبنانية), operating as '''Middle East Airlines''' (MEA) ([[Arabic language|Arabic]]: طيران الشرق الأوسط), is the national [[flag-carrier]] [[airline]] of [[Lebanon]], based in [[Beirut]]. It operates scheduled international services in the [[Middle East]], [[Europe]] and [[Africa]] and is based at [[Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport]].<ref name="FI">{{cite news | title= Directory: World Airlines | work= [[Flight International]] | page= 50 | date= 2007-04-10}}</ref>
Middle East Airlines (MEA) is a member of the [[Arab Air Carriers Organization]] (AACO) and the [[International Air Transport Association]] (IATA). The airline expressed its interest in becoming a SkyTeam associate member in early 2006 at a press conference in [[New York City|New York]] and the process should be completed by early 2008.<ref>[http://www.skyteam.com/EN/aboutSkyteam/pressCenter/pr011606.jsp Skyteam Press release]</ref>
==History==
Middle East Airlines was founded on [[May 31]], [[1945]] by [[Saeb Salam]], with operational and technical support from [[BOAC]], with three de Havilland DH.89A Rapides. Operations started on [[January 1]], [[1946]] with a service between [[Beirut]] and [[Nicosia]], followed by flights to [[Iraq]], [[Egypt]], [[Syria]], and [[Cyprus]]. Two [[Douglas DC-3]]s were acquired in mid-1946. [[Pan Am]] acquired a stake and management contract in September 1949.
[[Image:mea a330-200 f-omeb takeoff arp.jpg|thumb|right|[[Airbus A330-200]]]]
Pan Am was replaced when BOAC acquired 49% of MEA's shares in 1955. A [[Vickers Viscount]] was introduced in October 1955 while an [[Avro York]] cargo aircraft was leased in June 1957. On [[December 15]], [[1960]], the first of four [[de Havilland Comet]] 4Cs arrived. After the association with BOAC ended on [[August 16]], [[1961]], MEA was merged with [[Air Liban]] on [[June 7]], [[1963]] which gave [[Air France]] a 30% holding, since relinquished. The full title was then Middle East Airlines Air Liban.
In 1963 MEA also took over Lebanese International Airways. The fleet was modernised with the addition of three [[Sud Aviation Caravelle]]s, in April 1963; three [[Boeing 720]]Bs, in January 1966; one leased [[Vickers VC10]], in March 1967; and a number of [[Boeing 707|Boeing 707-320C]]s, from November 1967.
[[Image:mea a330-200 f-omeb arp.jpg|thumb|right|[[Airbus A330-200]]]]
The current name was adopted in November 1965 when the airline was completely merged with Air Liban. Although operations were interrupted by the [[1967 Arab-Israeli War|1967 Arab-Israeli war]], MEA restarted by acquiring a [[Convair 990|Convair CV-990A]] from [[American Airlines]], which entered service on [[June 24]] [[1969]]. A [[Boeing 747|Boeing 747-200B]] entered service in June 1975 on the Beirut - [[London]] route. Operations were interrupted again until 1990, until the political situation stabilised. [[Airbus A310|Airbus A310-300]]s were acquired in 1993 and 1994, followed by an [[Airbus A320#A321|A321-200]] and an [[Airbus A330|A330-200]], (which replaced the A310s). The airline was restructured in 2001.
On [[September 7]], [[2006]], Israel ended its 8-week long air blockade on Lebanon. A Middle East Airlines flight from Paris landed at [[Beirut International Airport]] at 6:06 p.m. local time. MEA resumed regularly scheduled flights on [[September 11]], [[2006]].
[[Image:mea a321-200 f-ormf arp.jpg|thumb|right|[[Airbus A321-200]]]]
The airline will introduce self check-in kiosks at Beirut's international airport and launch the [[Arabesk]] regional alliance with six other Arab carriers. They will be floating 10 to 20% of their shares in the Beirut Stock Exchange (BSE) as part of long-term plans to fully privatize the airline.
The airline is majority owned by the [[Banque du Liban]] (99.37%) and employs 2,437 staff (at March 2007).<ref name="FI"/>
==Destinations==
{{main|Middle East Airlines destinations}}
Middle East Airlines flies to 27 destinations in the [[Middle East]], [[Europe]] and [[Africa]].<ref name="Dest">{{Cite web |title=Middle East Airlines Route Map |url=http://www.mea.com.lb/MEA/English/Misc/RouteMap.htm |publisher=Middle East Airlines |accessdate=2008-02-11}}</ref> Of these routes only four are served seasonally. These inlcude [[Copenhagen]], [[Düsseldorf]], [[Nice]] and [[Sharm el-Sheikh]].<ref name="Dest"/> MEA has already launched services to [[Doha]] and is planning to restart services to [[Khartoum]], [[Madrid]] and [[Zurich]].{{Fact|date=February 2008}} There is also a possibility that the airline will begin services to [[Algiers]], [[Montreal]] and [[Moscow]].{{Fact|date=February 2008}}
Although the airline does not have an extensive network compared to other international airlines, it did serve 36 destinations from Beirut in 1968. Nineteen of those routes are no longer served today.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Beirut International Airport Destinations in 1968 (A) |url=http://wassch71.tripod.com/cedarjet91.html |publisher=The Cedarjet Pages |accessdate=2008-02-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Beirut International Airport Destinations in 1968 (B-C) |url=http://wassch71.tripod.com/cedarjet92.html |publisher=The Cedarjet Pages |accessdate=2008-02-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Beirut International Airport Destinations in 1968 (D-H) |url=http://wassch71.tripod.com/cedarjet93.html |publisher=The Cedarjet Pages |accessdate=2008-02-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Beirut International Airport Destinations in 1968 (I-O) |url=http://wassch71.tripod.com/cedarjet94.html |publisher=The Cedarjet Pages |accessdate=2008-02-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Beirut International Airport Destinations in 1968 (P-S) |url=http://wassch71.tripod.com/cedarjet95.html |publisher=The Cedarjet Pages |accessdate=2008-02-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Beirut International Airport Destinations in 1968 (T-Z) |url=http://wassch71.tripod.com/cedarjet96.html |publisher=The Cedarjet Pages |accessdate=2008-02-11}}</ref>
==Fleet==
The MEA fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of May 2007):{{Fact|date=August 2007}}
<center>
{| class="toccolours sortable" border="1" cellpadding="3" style="border-collapse:collapse"
|+ '''MEA Middle East Airlines Fleet'''
|- bgcolor=red
!Aircraft
!Total
!Passengers<br>(Cedar Class/Economy)
!Notes
!Tails
|-
|[[Airbus A320-200]]
|(6 orders)
(3 options)
|126 (24/102)
|Converted from A319
|-
|[[Airbus A320#A321|Airbus A321-200]]
|6
|149 (31/118)
|Short-medium haul routes
|F-ORME, F-ORMF, F-ORMG, F-ORMH, F-ORMI, F-ORMJ
|-
|[[Airbus A330|Airbus A330-200]]
|3<br>1<br>(3 orders)
|250 (42/208)<br>244 (44/200)<br>244 (44/200)
|Short-medium haul routes
|F-OMEA, F-OMEB, F-OMEC<br>F-ORMA
|}
</center>
*During an interview in March 2007 with MEA Chairman Mr. Mohamad El-Hout, he indicated that the airline had four [[A330|Airbus A330s]] and four [[A320|A319s]] (later converted to A320s) on order and that the airline will start taking delivery of these aircraft in June 2008.{{Fact|date=June 2007}}
*On June 27, 2007, MEA announced it will be taking a $60,000,000 loan from the Lebanese bank Fransabank to purchase two [[Airbus A320]]s. The loan would be repaid over a 10 year period.
*In early October 2007, MEA announced a modified livery for its fleet as well as an increase of its A320 order from four to six aircraft.
*Aircrafts used before by MEA were: 2 [[Airbus A300]], 10 [[Airbus A310]], 3 [[Airbus A320]], 3 [[Boeing B747]], [[Boeing 707-300]] and 18 [[Boeing 720]]
[[Image:MEA_new_livery.gif|thumb|right|Middle East Airlines new livery]]
==Codeshare agreements==
MEA code share with the following airlines:
{{Fact|date=August 2007}}
*[[Air France]]
*[[Etihad Airways]]
*[[Qatar Airways]]
*[[Saudi Arabian Airlines]]
*[[Tunisair]]
*[[Yemenia]]
and with
*[[SNCF]] - French National Railways
==Subsidiaries==
Middle East Airlines (MEA) fully owns the following subsidiaries, although they are operated independently.
*'''Middle East Airports Services (MEAS)'''
::Operates and maintains Beirut's [[Rafic Hariri International Airport]] from cleaning the rest rooms in the terminal to de-rubberizing the runways.
*'''Middle East Airlines Ground Handling (MEAG)'''
::The dominant ground handling company in Beirut's [[Rafic Hariri International Airport]] handling nearly 80% of all customers. Recently launched [[fixed base operator]] services from the new General Aviation Terminal under the name ''Cedar Jet Center''.
*'''Mideast Aircraft Services Company (MASCO)'''
::The only fully fledged aircraft maintenance provider in Beirut's [[Rafic Hariri International Airport]] specializing in maintaining [[Airbus]] aircraft. The company is PART 145 certified which allows it to carry maintenance on European registered aircraft. Main clients include [[Cyprus Airways]].
In addition to the above three wholly-owned subsidiaries, Middle East Airlines (MEA) also owns 77.5% of the '''Lebanese Beirut Airport Catering Company (LBACC)''' which is the only airline catering company at Beirut's [[Rafic Hariri International Airport]].
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
{{Commons|Middle East Airlines}}
*[http://www.mea.com.lb Official website]
{{Template group
|list =
{{SkyTeam}}
{{IATA members|mideast}}
{{Arab Air Carriers Organization}}
}}
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[[Category:Airlines of Lebanon]]
[[Category:IATA members]]
[[Category:Arab Air Carriers Organization members]]
[[Category:Airlines established in 1945]]
[[Category:Government-owned airlines]]
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