A plane over Beirut, at the level of Ramlet al-Baida beach. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L'Orient-Le Jour)
For the fifth consecutive day since the conflict triggered by the United States and Israel against Iran began, Middle East Airlines (MEA) has announced changes to its flight schedule as the majority of regional airspaces remain closed, with Lebanon deciding to keep its own open.
The national airline has added three extra flights between Beirut and Istanbul: departing from Beirut on March 5 at 12:10 p.m. (ME 1263), 4 p.m. (ME 1265), and 6:30 p.m. (ME 1267); and from Istanbul, two on March 5 at 4:10 p.m. (ME 1264) and 8 p.m. (ME 1266) and a final one on March 6 at 10:05 a.m. (ME 1268).
All flight times are listed in the local time of each city.
Delays
- The flight Larnaca – Beirut (ME 262) has been delayed: originally scheduled for Thursday, March 5, 2026, it is now set for Friday, March 6, with a departure time of 8 a.m.
- The return flight Cairo – Beirut (ME 307), also moved from Thursday, March 5, 2026, is rescheduled for Friday, March 6, with departure at 6:45 a.m.
- Morning departures to Riyadh scheduled for Thursday, March 5, 2026, have also been delayed: flight 424 from Beirut to Riyadh, originally set for 8:25 a.m., will take off at 9:40 a.m., while flight 425 from Riyadh to Beirut, scheduled for 12:40 p.m., will now depart at 2:45 p.m., according to each city’s local time.
- Morning and evening flight times to Amman on Thursday, March 5, 2026, have been changed: Flight ME 310 from Beirut to Amman remains at 7:40 a.m.; the return flight ME 311 from Amman to Beirut is moved up to 11:20 a.m. from 10:40 a.m.; flight ME 312 from Beirut to Amman remains at 4:25 p.m.; and the return flight ME 313 from Amman to Beirut is delayed to 8:05 p.m. from 7:25 p.m.
Cancellations
The national airline has canceled all its scheduled flights on Thursday, March 5, 2026, to and from the following regional destinations: Dubai, Kuwait, Baghdad, Erbil, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Najaf, and Dammam, including their respective return flights, according to the original timetable. Its routes to Europe are still operating.
