The engine of an MEA plane on the tarmac at Charles de Gaulle airport on April 9, 2024. (Credit: Philippe Hage Boutros/L'Orient-Le Jour)
Middle East Airlines (MEA) has announced changes to its flight schedule for Tuesday, March 3 and Wednesday, March 4, in the extraordinary context of the conflict between Iran, the United States and Israel, which has drawn in several countries in the region, including Lebanon.
The national airline has also taken a firmer stance against travelers who intentionally book seats on multiple overlapping flights and do not show up, failing to cancel their reservations within the required timeframe before departure.
"These practices block seats to the detriment of other travelers, Lebanese nationals and foreign residents in Lebanon, who urgently need to travel during this sensitive period. They also affect the company’s ability to manage seats fairly and efficiently," MEA management lamented, saying it has recently noticed this issue.
According to a source at MEA, one particular case prompted this decision: "A flight for which we had a long waiting list took off with only 50 seats occupied," the source said, without giving further details.
To address this, the company has decided to modify its no-show policy by significantly increasing penalties: $300 for a no-show in economy class (compared to about $100 previously) and $500 for a no-show in business class.
"The company also reserves the right to fully cancel the ticket, in either class, in case of a no-show," and "calls on all passengers and travel agents to cancel reservations they do not intend to use within the allotted time."
The following changes have been made to the flight schedule.
Additional flights
- An extra Dubai – Beirut flight (ME1429) will operate on Wednesday, March 4, departing Dubai at 1:30 p.m. (local time in the United Arab Emirates). Passengers whose reservations were previously canceled may travel on this flight at no extra charge.
- An extra Beirut–Istanbul connection is scheduled for March 3, with departure from Beirut at 7p.m. (ME1267) and return from Istanbul at 11 p.m. (ME1268). On March 4, three additional rotations will operate: Beirut – Istanbul at 1:30 p.m. (ME1263), 3:30 p.m. (ME1267) and 6:30 p.m. (ME1265); Istanbul – Beirut at 5:30 p.m. (ME1264) and 7:25 p.m. (ME1268), with an extra return on March 5 at 10:05 a.m. (ME1266).
- An extra Beirut – Yerevan – Beirut flight (ME275/276) will operate on March 4, with departures from Beirut at 9 a.m. and from Yerevan at 2:10 p.m.
Date and schedule changes
- Larnaca – Beirut (ME262) scheduled for March 3 has been postponed to March 4 at 8 a.m., and the flight on March 4 has been postponed to March 5 at 8 a.m. (Cyprus time).
- Jeddah – Beirut (ME369) scheduled for March 3 has been postponed to March 4 at 9:40 a.m., and the flight on March 4 has been postponed to March 5 at 9:40 a.m. (Saudi Arabian time).
- Beirut – Riyadh (ME424) on March 4 has been delayed from 8:25 a.m. to 9:40 a.m., and the return flight (ME425) from 12:40 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.
- Beirut – Amman (ME310/311) on March 4 remains at 7:40 a.m. for departure and 11:10 a.m. for the return.
Cancellations
- The Beirut – Amman flight (ME312/313) on March 4 is canceled.
- All scheduled flights to and from Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Baghdad and Kuwait are canceled for the scheduled dates.
- All other flights scheduled on March 4, 2026, remain unchanged.
