Middle East Airlines, known in short as MEA, has recently been in the news after one of its aircraft was inadvertently struck by a stray bullet while approaching its Beirut hub. The aircraft in question quickly returned to service and is one of 22 planes currently in the Lebanese flag carrier's fleet. But which models does it fly?

Airbus A330s

MEA's present fleet consists entirely of Airbus planes, with the only widebody family represented being the manufacturer's twin-engine A330 series. According to data from ch-aviation.com, Middle East Airlines has four examples of the smaller A330-200 at its disposal, of which three are active and one is in maintenance.

Historically speaking, MEA has flown another four A330-200s. Its current examples are 12 years old on average, and three (OD-MEA, -MEB, and -MEC) joined the Lebanese flag carrier on a brand-new basis in 2009 (between February and May). Meanwhile, the fourth A330-200 (OD-MEE) was a newer arrival, joining in May 2016.

MEA fits its Airbus A330-200s with a two-class configuration that has a total capacity of 244 passengers. Just under 82% of this figure comprises a 200-seat economy section, where the seats are laid out eight-abreast and have 30-32 inches of pitch. Meanwhile, the 44 business class recliners are six-abreast and have a 48-inch pitch. Going forward, MEA has four next-generation A330-900s on order.

Get all the latest aviation news right here on Simple Flying!

Airbus A320s

The remaining 18 aircraft in MEA's present fleet are narrowbodies, with nine being examples of the Airbus A320-200. These are slightly younger than the Lebanese flag carrier's twin-aisle A330-200s, as they are 11.4 years old on average. Eight are currently listed as being active, while one (OD-MRN) is in storage in Beirut.

Historically speaking, Middle East Airlines has operated another seven examples of the standard Airbus A320-200. Those presently at the carrier's disposal joined the carrier in various waves, with their arrivals occurring between January 2009 and March 2016. Interestingly, they don't all have the same seating configuration.

Indeed, one of the nine aircraft (OD-MRR) reportedly features a 156-seat all-economy layout. Meanwhile, the other eight sport a two-class setup consisting of 102 economy class seats and 24 business class recliners. The latter of these cabins has its seats laid out four-abreast (2-2), and they have a pitch of 38-39 inches.

Airbus A321neos

At the newer end of the spectrum, MEA's remaining nine aircraft are Airbus A321neos with an average age of just two years old. These 160-seat (132 economy and 28 business) aircraft joined the Lebanese flag carrier between July 2020 and June 2021, and the airline also has another two standard A321neos on order.

Furthermore, ch-aviation also lists MEA's order book as containing four examples of the longer-range Airbus A321XLR model. As Simple Flying reported last year, the carrier has ambitions of flying to new African destinations with these aircraft. MEA may also use the type to increase its frequencies on existing African routes.

What do you make of the current Middle East Airlines fleet? How many of the Lebanese flag carrier's aircraft have you flown on? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!

Source: ch-aviation.com

• 

  Middle East Airlines

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  ME/MEA

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport

  Year Founded:

  1945

  Alliance:

  SkyTeam

  CEO:

  Mohammad El Hout

  Country:

  Lebanon