The fuselage of an MEA aircraft seen from the boarding bridge at Charles de Gaulle Airport on April 9, 2024 in Paris. (Photo PHB)
The national airline Middle East Airlines (MEA) announced on Wednesday its flight schedules for the period from Sept. 1 to 5. The current period was already covered by a previous press release published on Aug. 23, while the Gaza war, which broke out on Oct. 7, 2023, will soon enter its twelfth month.
The situation in the region has been extremely uncertain since the tragedy that struck the Druze town of Majdal Shams on July 27, on the Golan Heights occupied by Israel, followed by the assassination in Beirut of a senior Hezbollah commander, Fouad Shukur, then of the head of the political bureau of the Palestinian Hamas movement, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran on July 31.
At the airline level, the wave of cancellations on Sunday was a one-off, but traffic is far from having returned to its usual level. Air France and Transavia have resumed their flights to and from Beirut, but the Greek company Aegean Airlines has suspended its flights to the Lebanese capital until Oct. 1, according to Reuters. Air Algeria has suspended its flights until "further notice" and LOT Polish Airlines until Sept. 2. The Lufthansa group suspended its flights to Beirut until Sept. 30. MEA has maintained all its flights and only modified certain schedules, invoking its now usual formula of "technical reasons related to the distribution of insurance risks for aircraft between Lebanon and other destinations."
For Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024, arrivals in Beirut:
Flight ME431 from Dubai is rescheduled to 5:45 a.m. instead of 2:15 a.m.
Flight ME435 from Doha is rescheduled to 5:05 a.m. instead of 2:50 a.m.
Flight ME427 from Dubai is rescheduled to 1:45 p.m. instead of 12:45 p.m.
Flight ME268 from Istanbul is rescheduled to 10:50 p.m. instead of 8:30 p.m.
Flight ME443 from Dammam is postponed to 5:30 a.m. on Sept. 2 instead of 8:55 p.m. the day before.
Flight ME369 from Jeddah is rescheduled to 5:40 a.m. on Sept. 2 instead of 9:15 p.m. the day before.
Flight ME403 from Kuwait is postponed to 5:45 a.m. on Sept. 2 instead of 9:15 p.m. the day before.
For Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024, departures from Beirut:
Flight ME267 to Istanbul is rescheduled for 7:55 p.m. instead of 5:35 p.m.
For Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, arrivals in Beirut:
Flight ME431 from Dubai is rescheduled to 5:45 a.m. instead of 2:15 a.m.
Flight ME435 from Doha is rescheduled to 5:05 a.m. instead of 2:50 a.m.
Flight ME305 from Cairo is rescheduled for 11:25 a.m. instead of 9:50 a.m.
Flight ME369 from Jeddah is rescheduled to 5:40 a.m. on Sept. 3 instead of 9:15 p.m. the day before.
Flight ME313 from Amman is postponed to 6:55 a.m. on Sept. 3 instead of 8 p.m. the day before.
Flight ME403 from Kuwait is postponed to 5:45 a.m. on Sept. 3 instead of 9:15 p.m. the day before.
Flight ME307 from Cairo is postponed to 6:50 a.m. on Sept. 3 instead of 8:35 p.m. the day before.
For Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, departures from Beirut:
Flight ME304 to Cairo is rescheduled for 9:05 a.m. instead of 7:30 a.m.
Flight ME1271 to Larnaca is rescheduled for 8:20 p.m. instead of 4:40 p.m.
For Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, arrivals in Beirut:
Flight ME431 from Dubai is rescheduled to 5:45 a.m. instead of 2:15 a.m.
Flight ME248 from Düsseldorf is rescheduled for 3:00 p.m. instead of 11:15 a.m.
Flight ME427 from Dubai is rescheduled to 1:45 p.m. instead of 12:45 p.m.
Flight ME443 from Dammam is postponed to 5:30 a.m. on Sept. 4 instead of 8:55 p.m. the day before.
Flight ME369 from Jeddah is rescheduled to 5:40 a.m. on Sept. 4 instead of 9:15 p.m. the day before.
Flight ME403 from Kuwait is postponed to 5:45 a.m. on Sept. 4 instead of 9:15 p.m. the day before.
For Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, departures from Beirut:
Flight ME247 to Dusseldorf is rescheduled for 10:45 a.m. instead of 7:00 a.m.
Flight ME426 to Dubai is rescheduled for 8:30 a.m. instead of 7:30 a.m.
For Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, arrivals in Beirut:
Flight ME431 from Dubai is rescheduled to 5:45 a.m. instead of 2:15 a.m.
Flight ME248 from Dusseldorf is rescheduled for 1:20 p.m. instead of 11:15 a.m.
Flight ME369 from Jeddah is rescheduled to 5:40 a.m. on Sept. 5 instead of 9:15 p.m. the day before.
Flight ME403 from Kuwait is postponed to 5:45 a.m. on Sept. 5 instead of 9:15 p.m. the day before.
For Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, departures from Beirut:
Flight ME434 to Doha is rescheduled to 11:55 p.m. instead of 11:05 p.m.
Flight ME247 to Dusseldorf is rescheduled for 9:05 a.m. instead of 7:00 a.m.
For Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, arrivals in Beirut:
Flight ME431 from Dubai is rescheduled to 5:45 a.m. instead of 2:15 a.m.
Flight ME435 from Doha is rescheduled to 5:05 a.m. instead of 2:50 a.m.
Flight ME419 from Abu Dhabi is postponed to 5:50 a.m. on Sept. 6 instead of 8:35 p.m. the day before.
Flight ME443 from Dammam is postponed to 5:30 a.m. on Sept. 6 instead of 8:55 p.m. the day before.
Flight ME403 from Kuwait is postponed to 5:45 a.m. on Sept. 6 instead of 9:15 p.m. the day before.
This article originally appeared in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.
