War risks: MEA adapts to decreased flights

The Middle East Airlines (MEA) A321 neo aircraft is about to take off for Dubai, marking one of its last journeys in the foreseeable future. Following this flight, it will continue to Doha and stay there until further notice.

Like several other MEA planes, this A321 Neo is among the 14 aircraft out of 22 owned by MEA that relocated from Lebanon to foreign destinations. This decision was made after the insurance company reduced war insurance on the aircraft by a staggering 80 percent, citing the heightened war risks in Lebanon.

On Saturday, 10 of the 14 planes set off to various destinations: four to Cyprus, two to Doha, one to Oman, one to Kuwait, one to Paris, and one to London, with a subsequent journey to Larnaca.

MEA had previously transported another four planes to Turkey, all of which are of the newer and larger models:

-         Four of them are A321 neo aircraft, capable of carrying 160 passengers each.

-         One is an A330 aircraft that can accommodate up to 244 passengers.

As of midnight on Saturday, the number of flights will decrease, with an interesting drop from 32 Saturday flights to 23 on Sunday.

The reduction in the number of aircraft will not lead to canceling any Lebanese airline routes. MEA has initiated a plan to reschedule flights.

Flight rescheduling has required the involvement of all company departments.

For instance, the call center has transformed into a busy hub to respond to inquiries and booking changes from passengers. The commercial department has been actively working on flight rescheduling for the upcoming days.

It is worth noting that MEA's aircraft do not just carry passengers but are also used for cargo shipments. This raises the question of how this situation will impact cargo transportation.