Middle East Airlines mourned the death of the first ever Lebanese pilot Captain Saadeddine Ahmad Dabbous, who passed away on Wednesday, August 15, 2018, after a 40-year journey with the airlines.
Dabbous joined the Middle East back in 1947 as an accountant. Two years into the job, he decided to apply for a pilot training session. He passed the medical tests and the first round and then was transferred by MEA to Cairo for a year and a half to complete his training. After graduating on top of his class, he traveled to London for another 6-month training period. In 1952, Saad became officially the first Lebanese MEA pilot and flew his first flight on board a Dakota DC3 plane from Cairo to Beirut.