Salam: Middle East Airlines has become an essential part of Lebanese identity

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Tuesday paid tribute to Lebanon’s national carrier, Middle East Airlines (MEA), on its 80th anniversary, praising its employees and calling the company “an essential part of Lebanese identity.”

“This company has become an essential part of Lebanese identity, and everyone remembers that it was the only connection to the outside world, even during times of war and crisis,” Salam said during a ceremony at Beirut's airport, attended by First Lady Neemat Aoun.

With hundreds of thousands of Lebanese living abroad, air links remain vital for the population. During the most recent war between Israel and Hezbollah, MEA was the only airline to maintain flights to and from Beirut, earning international recognition when images of planes bearing the cedar emblem taking off under bombardment spread across global media.

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'Our institutions can succeed'

“The 2024 war once again demonstrated a spirit of resilience when MEA became the only option for survival,” Salam said. “While the skies seemed threatening, the faces of pilots, flight attendants and technicians reflected calm courage.”

He praised MEA as one of the first Arab carriers to embrace modern management and technology in training, maintenance, and air services.

“Middle East Airlines has proven that our institutions can succeed when they are built on professionalism and responsibility — free from clientelism and sectarian loyalties,” he said.

“Our goal is to rebuild the state on the foundations of efficiency, productivity, and investment stimulation,” he said, citing initiatives to modernize public administration and establish a Ministry of Technology and Artificial Intelligence.

Rasamny promises a modernized Beirut airport

Public Works and Transport Minister Fayez Rasamny praised MEA staff for their courage in continuing operations despite Israeli bombardments. “We entered the public sector motivated by reform and service,” he said. “We saw the crises and accumulated negligence of past years, but we chose to act rather than make excuses.”

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Rasamny highlighted progress on rehabilitating the airport’s access road — completed with MEA’s support — and announced plans to modernize Beirut's airport into “a boutique airport combining luxury, comfort, and smart technology.”

Upcoming projects include the opening of an expressway, renovations to the departures area, and an upgraded VIP lounge, which he said will increase passenger capacity by about 2 million per year.

He also said his ministry is working to reactivate Rene Moawad–Qleiaat Airport to connect North Lebanon to global markets and promote regional development. “We must launch low-cost flights from both Beirut and Qleiat,” he said.

Last September, Rasamny said the rehabilitation contract for Qleiaat airport would be awarded “within the first three months of the coming year.”

The plan, backed mainly by Sunni MPs from Akkar’s National Moderation bloc, is seen as both an economic lifeline for Lebanon’s poorest region and a strategic alternative to Beirut’s airport, often accused of being under Hezbollah’s influence.

MEA’s next chapter

MEA Chairman and CEO Mohammed al-Hout announced the launch of Fly Beirut, a national low-cost carrier expected to begin operations in 2027 with a fleet of six new aircraft. He also revealed plans to restore Beirut’s role as a maintenance hub for international airlines, which he said “will require new facilities.”