Lebanon's MEA Rises Above Structural Disadvantages | Aviation International News

Lebanon's MEA Rises Above Structural Disadvantages

Middle East Airlines sees room for growth despite incursions by Gulf behemoths.

Lebanon's MEA operates a fleet of 18 aircraft, including the Airbus A330, from Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut. The airline expects to replace a dozen of those and add two more in the next two years. (Photo: MEA)

By Peter Shaw-Smith • Contributor - Middle East

May 6, 2019

Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines (MEA) expects to acquire up to 14 replacement aircraft and increase its fleet size to 20 aircraft by 2021 as it works to overcome serious competitive disadvantages posed by its hub's open skies policy, explained the airline's head of commercial strategy and alliances, Walid Abillama. “Our open skies policy is actually very unfair for us," he told AIN during an interview at MEA's headquarters at Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport (RHIA). "Other carriers are free to add capacity. If we ask to increase our frequencies, they complain that they are not able to get slots. When an airline comes to your base, you cannot take advantage of their network. The ‘Big Three’ [Gulf carriers] are the biggest airlines in the world. We are a minority at Beirut. We have only 35 percent market share at RHIA."

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