en.Wedoany.com Reported - Mohamad El-Hout, Chairman and CEO of Middle East Airlines (MEA), revealed at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro that the company plans to officially launch its low-cost carrier subsidiary Fly Beirut in June 2027. The initial fleet will consist of up to six Airbus A320 aircraft, configured with 180 all-economy seats.
El-Hout stated that the first of three aircraft obtained from lessors will arrive in mid-June 2027. These aircraft will first be used by MEA to launch new routes to Berlin and Amsterdam (starting in June and July respectively), before being transferred to Fly Beirut for operations. Fly Beirut is positioned as a differentiated low-cost product, complementing the traditional network carrier to capture market segments that are difficult for the latter to reach. The low-cost carrier is wholly owned by MEA, which is majority-owned by the Banque du Liban (Central Bank of Lebanon), but Fly Beirut will operate under independent commercial management.
"They should be differentiated. One is low-cost; one is a traditional carrier," El-Hout said. "The seat configuration is different. The timings are different; the prices will be cheaper. The booking system is different. It will work in Lebanon." He added, "I want Fly Beirut to have completely independent commercial management, so they have to compete with each other." This plan was first proposed a decade ago, but the timing was not right then. "Now, we are starting. The Governor of the Central Bank, the Minister of Transport, and the people of Lebanon are very satisfied with this," El-Hout said.
In the initial phase of operations, Fly Beirut will coordinate with MEA on certain routes, before fully taking over some flights and launching its own routes. For destinations with lower demand for business class, such as Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, and Düsseldorf, Fly Beirut will operate the flights. In markets with higher business demand, such as Paris, MEA can operate two frequencies, while Fly Beirut handles the third frequency. El-Hout has always been cautious about ensuring MEA's gradual growth but is confident in Fly Beirut. "Due to the situation, I am indeed a bit hesitant. I believe expansion during wartime is impossible. I hope the situation will be much better by next year," he said. The growth of Fly Beirut's fleet size will depend on the situation in Lebanon, the same management approach MEA has followed for years.
This article is compiled by Wedoany. All AI citations must indicate the source as "Wedoany". If there is any infringement or other issues, please notify us promptly, and we will modify or delete it accordingly. Email: news@wedoany.com
