Middle East Airlines: Resilient As Its Cedar Emblem

Middle East Airlines (MEA) is Lebanon’s prime airlines. Established in 1945, it initiated its first flights to countries in close proximity such as Syria, Cyprus, Egypt, and other destinations in the Gulf, enjoying its heyday as a tourist carrier and global aviation hub. In 1963, MEA merged with Air Liban and added new destinations like Europe, Middle East, and West Africa. The central bank of Lebanon owns 99% of the Middle East Airlines, which operates on a commercial basis.

During the Lebanese Civil War, between 1975 and 1990, Beirut International Airport closed for a while. However, MEA managed to survive by leasing aircrafts, transferring staff to international airline companies, and operating charter flights from different bases such as Cyprus. By 1975, MEA had 23 planes. However, during the war 12 planes of MEA were destroyed, 7 of them in the 1982 Israeli invasion. With the return to normality in 1990, MEA succeeded in reestablishing services to all its previous destinations, strengthening and improving its network to Europe, Middle East and the Gulf.  Due to its ability to keep functioning through such difficult situations, MEA earned its title “the world’s most resilient airline” by the Times of London.  

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Middle East Airlines – Resilient As its Cedar Emblem

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