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A Lebanese Blog

Tag: aviation

  • 80 Years of Middle East Airlines: Lebanon’s Cedar Still Soars

    Lebanon’s national carrier, Middle East Airlines (MEA), has officially turned 80 years old, and what a journey it’s been! Eight decades of highs and lows, turbulence and triumphs, all tied together by one constant: the unmistakable Lebanese spirit of perseverance.

    From its humble beginnings in 1945 to its transformation into a modern regional leader, MEA’s story mirrors Lebanon’s own, full of challenges, comebacks, and an unshakable pride that never stops flying.

    From Beirut’s Golden Age to Global Recognition

    MEA was founded in 1945 by Saeb Salam, with support from BOAC (what we know today as British Airways). With just a few aircraft, the airline began connecting Beirut to nearby capitals like Damascus, Cairo, and Nicosia, before quickly expanding to Europe and beyond.

    By the 1960s, MEA had become one of the Middle East’s most respected airlines. The company’s jets were sleek, the service was world-class, and Beirut’s airport buzzed with energy. MEA didn’t just connect cities, it connected cultures. Flying MEA was synonymous with elegance and Lebanese hospitality.

    But as we know, Lebanon’s golden age was soon interrupted.

    Surviving the Storm: MEA During the Civil War

    When the Lebanese Civil War erupted in 1975, MEA faced unimaginable challenges. Beirut Airport was hit repeatedly, aircraft were destroyed on the ground, and normal operations became impossible.

    Yet, MEA never disappeared. While many other airlines might have gone bankrupt or relocated for good, MEA adapted. The company set up makeshift offices, re-routed flights through foreign airports, and did whatever it took to keep Lebanon connected to the world, even if it was just a few destinations at a time.

    Through those 15 years of chaos, MEA became a symbol of national endurance. The airline didn’t just survive the war, it embodied Lebanon’s refusal to give up.

    Rebuilding the Dream: The Mohamad El-Hout Era

    When peace finally returned in the early 1990s, MEA was in rough shape, financially drained, overstaffed, and flying an aging fleet. The company was in desperate need of leadership and a clear vision. That’s when Mohamad El-Hout stepped in.

    Appointed as Chairman and Director General in 1998, El-Hout faced what seemed like an impossible task: rescuing a national airline at a time when the country itself was struggling to rebuild.

    What followed was nothing short of remarkable.

    El-Hout led a bold restructuring plan that focused on modernization, efficiency, and sustainability. Under his leadership:

    • MEA streamlined its operations, cutting unnecessary costs and optimizing staff while preserving jobs wherever possible.
    • The fleet was completely renewed, moving to a modern all-Airbus lineup, safer, more efficient, and environmentally friendly.
    • Service quality was overhauled, returning MEA to its reputation for Lebanese hospitality and professionalism.
    • In 2012, MEA joined the SkyTeam Alliance, alongside airlines like Air France, KLM, and Delta, a milestone that reestablished Beirut as a respected international hub.
    • The company also invested in a state-of-the-art training center, new headquarters, and the elegant MEA Cedar Lounge at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport, now considered one of the best in the region.

    Even as Lebanon entered one crisis after another, political instability, economic collapse, a pandemic, and even the Beirut Port explosion, El-Hout’s steady leadership kept MEA flying. While other national institutions struggled to survive, MEA managed to stay operational, profitable, and proudly Lebanese.

    The Cedar That Refuses to Fall

    MEA’s resilience isn’t just history, it’s still happening.

    During the 66 Days War in 2024, when tensions and airstrikes struck dangerously close to Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport, MEA once again proved its commitment to Lebanon. Despite damage in nearby areas and repeated security scares, the airline continued to operate, safely evacuating passengers and maintaining vital connections with the outside world.

    It was a powerful reminder that MEA isn’t just a business, it’s a lifeline. When others pause, the Cedar keeps flying.

    Eighty Years Later: The Pride of Lebanon

    Today, MEA operates one of the youngest and most modern fleets in the Middle East, serving destinations across Europe, Africa, and the Gulf. Its aircraft, with their blue-and-white livery and proud Cedar tree, remain an emotional sight for many Lebanese traveling abroad.

    Because for us, MEA isn’t just an airline. It’s home in the sky.

    Every takeoff carries stories of reunions, migrations, returns, and new beginnings. Every landing in Beirut feels like coming back to warmth, chaos, and heart.

    As MEA celebrates 80 years of flying, we’re reminded that no matter how many storms Lebanon faces, the Cedar still finds a way to rise above the clouds.

    So here’s to Middle East Airlines, and to the people behind it, especially Chairman Mohamad El-Hout, who turned resilience into strategy and crisis into progress.

    May the next 80 years be smoother, brighter, and as proudly Lebanese as ever.

  • Inside The Middle East Airlines Training and Conference Center

    On the way to airport, and just before you reach its entrance, you can’t but notice “The Dome”. This intriguing structure is part of the Middle East Airlines Training and Conference Center, where their staff get most of their training at. And since I have always felt curious to know how would it be like inside such training facility, I simply contacted someone I know there a couple of weeks ago to check if I can visit the center.

    A few days later, the the cool people at MEA quickly arranged an appointment for me to tour the facility and I was lucky to be accompanied by one of their engineers, a training manager, and of course a communications officer.

    I think people know very little about the things that happen behind the scenes at an airline, so here’s everything I saw at the 43,500 m2 MEA training center.

    Flight Training

    First things first. When I initially asked MEA to visit their training center I was mostly interested in checking the equipment that help their pilots achieve their flight training, so the tour started by first visiting the available simulators.

    MEA currently has a full motion Airbus A320 flight simulator, and two other fixed-base simulators. As you can see below, the full motion simulator gives the same feeling as being inside a real cockpit with the surrounding screens displaying very realistic scenes. It can simulate turbulences and any required weather condition, and once you’re inside you simply feel like you’re in a real flight due to all the movement feedback that the device provides. Training on this simulator counts like flying a real airplane for the pilot and it is the only one of its kind in the middle east, that’s why pilots from other airlines in the region come to Lebanon to train on it.

    There’s currently only 1 full motion simulator but the space where it is installed can actually accommodate 3 others. I heard they might soon be getting additional ones but I couldn’t figure out of what model series.

    The other two fixed-base simulator are for the Airbus A320 and A330 but they of course don’t feel as real as the one above.

    In addition to the simulators, the center has 20 stations for CBT (Computer Based Training) as well as a facility for pilot’s license renewal. As I was informed, pilots should undergo certain tests every 6 months to renew they licence and the MEA has a dedicated accredited facility for that.

    Cabin Crew Training

    My second stop was at the division where the cabin crew are trained. Again, real airplane models are used with simulators to train the crew on several evacuation scenarios including jumping into an adjacent swimming pool.

    The material inside the airplane mockup (photo below) are the same that are used in a regular Airbus, while the windows are in fact screens that can simulate different scenarios like a  fire, cracked window, emergency landing, etc… and according to each situation the crew is trained on a course of action. Note that the pilots get similar training  in order to be able to cope with incidents inside the cockpit.

    The Conference Center

    Apart from the available training facilities, the building has many conference areas. People are probably familiar with the Riad Salaeh auditorium (also known as The Dome) since it shows in the news every now and then, but there’s also a much larger hall, The Mohammad Al Hout hall, which extends over an area of 680 m2 and has a very large attached kitchen to it in order to serve the events.

    The conference zones of the center can host various events and are therefore not for the exclusive use of MEA as they can be rented to any company willing to host an occasion or event.

    The same also applies to the training areas since other airlines in the region pay the MEA sometimes to use the center in order to train their staff. Some of the airlines that recently used the facilities are Cyprus Airways, Air India, and Turkish Airlines. So basically the whole center contributes in generating additional income to the MEA.

    All in all, I really enjoyed the tour and it felt cool getting exposed to the aviation world with all the info that experts were telling me. More importantly, it was also nice to know that a center of such caliber does exist in Lebanon and serves regional airlines from neighboring countries.