The engine of an MEA plane seen from the boarding bridge at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, April 9, 2024. (Credit: PHB)
Middle East Airlines (MEA) announced changes to its flight schedule for August 22-25, a habit it has adopted since late July, when tensions between Iran and Hezbollah, on the one hand, and Israel, on the other, have increased significantly in the wake of the Gaza war. The schedules of all flights not listed in this new list are maintained, the national airline said.
MEA has maintained most of its flights during this period without interruption, unlike other airlines that have suspended their service to Beirut for a certain period or until now. This is particularly the case of the leading European airline, Lufthansa, which announced on Monday that it was extending the suspension of its flights in the Middle East until Aug. 26 inclusive, in view of the risks of worsening the conflict in the region. In a statement, the German group said that the measure concerns services to the airports of Tel Aviv, Tehran, Beirut, Amman and Erbil as well as crossing Iranian and Iraqi airspace. Initially, the suspension ran until Aug. 21.
Here is the schedule of modified MEA flights for the next few days:
For Thursday, August 22, regarding arrivals in Beirut:
• Flight ME1272 from Larnaca to Beirut was brought forward to 7:40 a.m., while it was scheduled for 9 a.m. the same morning.
• Flight ME431 from Dubai is rescheduled to 5:45 a.m. instead of 2:15 a.m.
• Flight ME435 from Doha is rescheduled to 5:20 a.m. instead of 2:50 a.m.
• Flight ME427 from Dubai is rescheduled to 2:15 p.m. instead of 12:45 p.m..
• Flight ME256 from Athens is rescheduled to 2:25 p.m. instead of 1:40 p.m.
• Flight ME403 from Kuwait City is rescheduled for 5:50 a.m. on Aug. 23 instead of 9:15 p.m. the day before.
Still on Aug. 22, but this time regarding departures:
• Flight ME426 to Dubai is rescheduled to 8:50 a.m. instead of 7:30 a.m.
• Flight ME255 to Athens is rescheduled for 11:30 a.m. instead of 10:45 a.m.
• Flight ME1271 to Larnaca is rescheduled to 5:10 p.m. instead of 4:40 p.m.
Then, for Friday, Aug. 23, at the arrivals level:
• ME431 flights from Dubai are rescheduled at 5:45 a.m. instead of 2:15 a.m. and ME435 from Doha at 5:20 a.m. instead of 2:50 a.m.
• Flight ME369 from Jeddah is rescheduled for 5:50 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 24 instead of 9:15 p.m. the day before.
• Flight ME423 from Riyadh is rescheduled to 10:55 p.m. instead of 9:10 p.m.
• Flight ME226 from Copenhagen is rescheduled for 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 24 instead of 10:30 p.m. the day before.
Still on Aug. 23, regarding departures:
• Flight ME368 to Jeddah is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. instead of 5:45 p.m.
• Flight ME225 to Copenhagen is scheduled for 1:05 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 24, instead of 6:20 p.m. the day before.
• Flight ME422 to Riyadh is scheduled for 7:35 p.m. instead of 5:50 p.m.
On Aug. 24, at the arrivals level:
• Flights ME369 from Jeddah and ME431 from Dubai are subject to the same schedule changes as previously indicated.
• Flight ME435 from Doha is rescheduled to 5:05 a.m. instead of 2:50 a.m.
• Flight ME216 from Brussels is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. instead of 11:35 a.m.
• Flight ME443 from Dammam is scheduled for 5:35 a.m. on Aug. 25 instead of 8:55 p.m. the day before.
On Aug. 24, at the departures level:
• Flight ME215 to Brussels is rescheduled for 9:05 a.m. instead of 7:05 a.m.
• Flight ME443 to Dammam is rescheduled to 6:00 p.m. instead of 5:35 p.m.
• Flight ME368 to Jeddah is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. instead of 5:45 p.m.
Finally, on Aug. 25 at the arrivals level:
• Flight ME431 from Dubai is subject to the same schedule changes as previously indicated.
• Flight ME435 from Doha will depart at 5:05 a.m. instead of 2:50 a.m.
• Flight ME427 from Dubai will depart at 2:20 p.m. instead of 12:45 p.m.
And for departures scheduled for Aug. 25:
• Flight ME426 to Dubai will depart at 9:05 a.m. instead of 7:30 a.m.
This article originally appeared in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.