By Wassim Chemaitelli

MEA's Destination Census

Throughout its turbulent history, MEA operated scheduled flights to a total of 66 destinations over five continents. This document, reviews these destinations, their years of service and current status.  The core of MEA's network has remained nevertheless unchanged since the merger with Air Liban in 1963 as the airline continues to focus on high yield routes to the Middle East, Southern and Western Europe and West Africa. In red, MEA's current 27 online stations.

A-Asia

1-Near East

Lebanon             Beirut                         Homebase
                         Tripoli/Kleyate             1990-1992
Syria                  Aleppo                        1946-1967
                         Damascus                    1959, 1965 and 1985-1998
Cyprus               Nicosia                        1945-1974
                         Larnaca                       1975-Current
Palestine            Haifa                           1946-1948
                         Lydda                         1946-1948
                         Jerusalem                    1951-1967
Jordan               Amman                       1961-Current
Turkey              Istanbul                       1947-Current
                        Ankara                         1947-1992
Iraq                  Baghdad                       1946-1982

MEA's Boeing 707 seen in Larnaca in 1984. Cyprus is indeed MEA's oldest destination. Flights were transferred from Nicosia's International Airport to Larnaca following the Turkish invasion in 1974.  Photo: MEA

2-Gulf

Kuwait              Kuwait                         1949-Current     
Iran                  Teheran                        1956-1978 and 1999-2001
Saudi Arabia      Jeddah                         1956-Current   
                        Dhahran                       1949-1999
                        Dammam                     2000-Current
                        Riyadh                         1992-Current   
Yemen             Aden                            1958-1994
Oman               Muscat                         1972-1993
U.A.Emirates    Abu Dhabi                    1968-Current
                        Dubai                          1966-Current
                        RasAlKhaymah            1977-1984
Bahrain             Bahrain                       1949-1997
Qatar                Doha                           1957-1998 and 2004-Current

MEA's Comet OD-ADT inaugurated flights to Dubai in 1965, these became operated on a scheduled basis in 1966.
From modest beginnings, Dubai grew to become a world class air transportation hub 30 years later. Photo: MEA

3- South Asia and Far East

Pakistan            Karachi                       1958-1969
India                 Bombay                      1958-1969
Sri Lanka          Colombo                     1994-1998
Singapore          Singapore                    1991-1995
Malaysia           KualaLumpur              1996-2001

B-Africa 

1- North Africa

Egypt                Cairo                           1946-Current
                        SharmElSheikh             2004-Current
Libya                Benghazi                      1967-1982
                        Tripoli                          1990-1992
Tunisia              Tunis                           1980-1995

2- Sub Saharian Africa

Sudan                Khartoum                    1963-1996
Nigeria               Kano                           1963-1998, 1999-Current
                         Lagos                          1963-Current
Ivory Coast        Abidjan                       1963-Current
Ghana                Accra                         1963-1975, 1991-Current
Sierra Leone       Freetown                    1963-1975, 1988-1995
Liberia               Monrovia                    1963-1975, 1980-1990
Ethiopia             Addis Abeba                1964-1970

MEA's West African network is a precious legacy, inherited from Air Liban after the merger in 1963. Photo: MEA

C-Europe

1- Eastern Europe

Armenia             Erevan                        1974-1975                                     
Romania            Bucharest                    1996-1997

2-Southern Europe

3-Central Europe

        
MEA's European beginnings were allowed by the introduction of the Vickers Viscout in the mid-fifties. Photo MEA

D-America
           
United States    New York                       1983-1985
Brazil               Sao Paulo                        1996-1998

MEA's transatlantic services lasted only for a few years. Photos: MEA advertisments.

E-Oceania        

Australia           Sydney                           1994-1997

MEA's Boeing 747s were flown as far as Sydney and Sao Paulo in the mid nineties.
Copyright Daniel Dufner @Aviation Marketplace by Bird Publishing

Above : Out of a total of 66 historic destinations, MEA was still flying to 27 in 2005.
Below: Out of the 39  stations closed by MEA, 17 were still connected to Beirut by other airlines in 2005.

While it continues to improve its overall performance, focusing on profitable routes and improving its service offer, MEA will hopefully regain its share of the market lost to competition during and after the war in Lebanon. It is with this wish in mind that this document, commemorating the Cedarjet Pages' fifth anniversary, was uploaded in February 2005.

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