Washington Mulls Resuming Direct Flights to Beirut

posted on: Dec 18, 2009

President Michel Sleiman announced Thursday that American airlines are considering a partnership agreement with Middle East Airlines (MEA) as a first step to resume direct flights between Beirut and the United States and eventually Canada.

The issue of MEA and resumption of direct flights between the US and Lebanon was raised during an official visit to Washington, said Sleiman after receiving a delegation from MEA, headed by company Chairman Mohammad Hout.

He added that American officials were receptive to the idea of a partnership between American airlines and the national carrier.

There have been no direct flights between the two countries for more than two decades, after the US banned any direct flights to Lebanon following the highjacking of a TWA plane in 1985.

MEA has several partnership agreements with many foreign airlines and most notably Air France.

Sources told The Daily Star that resumption of direct flights between the two countries would be greatly beneficial to both MEA and Lebanon as tourism between the two countries would likely rise.

At present, there are more than 50 Arab and foreign airlines using Rafik Hariri International Airport. This number is expected to rise in the future thanks to the open sky policy adopted by Lebanon in 2001.

MEA made impressive financial results over the past five years despite the global credit crunch, which hit airlines hard across the world. Hout said he expected the company to make a net profit of more than $100 million by the end of 2009.

The Daily Star