A MEA Airbus in flight. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Lebanese airline Middle East Airlines (MEA) has once again updated the schedule of its flights departing from and arriving at Beirut International Airport (BIA) amidst ongoing tensions on Lebanon's southern border, related to the conflict between Hamas and Israel.
Since the weekend Middle East Airlines has changed or cancelled a number of flights due to a reduction in insurance coverage, according to the company.
Here are the changes for the upcoming days, according to MEA's website.
Monday, Oct. 23
Ten flights had their schedules modified, specifically five round trips connecting the Lebanese capital to Athens (ME251 and ME1252), Larnaca (ME261 and ME1262), Istanbul (ME267 and ME268), Cairo (ME306 and ME307), and Riyadh (ME424 and ME425).
In addition, 18 flights were canceled, nine round trips between Beirut and Istanbul (ME265 and ME266), Amman (ME312 and ME313), Baghdad (ME322 and ME323), Jeddah (ME364 and ME365), Kuwait City (ME404 and ME405), Abu Dhabi (ME418 and ME419), Dubai (ME426, ME427, ME428, and ME429), and Doha (ME436 and ME437).
Tuesday, Oct. 24
Ten flights had their schedules modified, specifically five round trips connecting the Lebanese capital to Istanbul (ME265, ME266, ME267, and ME268), Abu Dhabi (ME418 and ME419), Riyadh (ME422 and ME423), and Dubai (ME430 and ME431).
In addition, 14 flights were canceled, seven round trips between Beirut and London (ME203 and ME204), Athens (ME251 and ME252), Istanbul (ME263 and ME264), Amman (ME312 and ME313), Erbil (ME324 and ME325), Riyadh (ME424 and ME425), and Dubai (ME426 and ME427).
Wednesday, Oct. 25
Eighteen flights had their schedules modified, specifically nine round trips connecting Beirut to Milan via Rome (ME235), Madrid (ME241 and ME242), Athens (ME251 and ME252), Larnaca (ME261 and ME262), Istanbul (ME267 and ME268), Jeddah (ME364 and ME365), Riyadh (ME422 and ME423), Dubai (ME426 and ME427), Abidjan via Accra (ME575 and ME576).
In addition, 14 flights were canceled, seven round trips between Beirut and London (ME203 and ME204), Istanbul (ME265 and ME266), Amman (ME310 and ME311), Baghdad (ME322 and ME323), Abu Dhabi (ME418 and ME419), Riyadh (ME424 and ME425), and Doha (ME436 and ME437).
Thursday, Oct. 26
Forty flights had their schedules changed, including twenty round trips connecting Beirut to London (ME201 and ME202), Paris (ME211 and ME212, ME229 and ME230), Frankfurt (ME217 and ME218), Rome (ME231 and ME232), Athens (ME251 and ME252), Istanbul (ME267 and ME268), Cairo (ME306 and ME307), Amman (ME312 and ME313), Baghdad (ME322 and ME323), Erbil (ME324 and ME325), Jeddah (ME364 and ME365, ME368 and ME369), Kuwait City (ME402 and ME403), Abu Dhabi (ME418 and ME419), Riyadh (ME422 and ME423), Dubai (ME426 and ME427, ME428 and ME429), Doha (ME436 and ME437) and Dammam (ME442 and ME443).
In addition, twelve flights have been canceled, including six round trips between Beirut and Istanbul (ME263 and ME264, ME265 and ME266), Cairo (ME304 and ME305), Amman (ME310 and ME311), Basra (ME332 and ME333) and Riyadh (ME424 and ME425).
Changes in insurance coverage
On Friday, MEA's CEO, Mohammad el-Hout, had already announced that the company would cancel "more than half" of its flights due to changes in insurance coverage.
This announcement comes at a time when Israel and Hamas are at war, and the conflict has spilled over into southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah and the Israeli state exchange rocket fire, resulting in multiple casualties.
Mohammad el-Hout had also reassured that "there is no information indicating that there will be an imminent strike targeting the airport," in a statement to the local channel MTV on Friday. "More than half of the company's trips will be canceled, but our priority is to maintain connections between Lebanon and abroad," he added. "Yesterday (October 19), we were notified of a cancellation of insurance, which will take effect on Sunday," the CEO of the national airline further stated.
MEA had announced last Monday that five of its aircraft had been parked in Istanbul 'as a preventive measure' due to the war between Israel and Hamas.
