Lebanese Aviation ✈ (MEA | Hariri Beirut International Airport)

[AmeriLEB]

Hmm conflicting reports? What do you Airline experts think about MEA benefits if purchasing assests? Cyprus Airways has flights to Russia etc etc

MEA confirms Cyprus Airlines talks
April 20, 2013 03:16 AM
The Daily Star

BEIRUT: A source at Middle East Airlines Friday confirmed reports it was negotiating with Cyprus Airways to acquire the company’s assets and said the results of these talks would appear by the end of May.

“Middle East Airlines is currently negotiating with Cyprus Airways. The details of these talks are highly confidential because both parties signed an agreement not to disclose any details about the progress of these negotiations,” an industry source told The Daily Star.

The source, who was speaking on condition of anonymity, said MEA would have a final answer from the Cyprus Airways at the end of May at the latest. The source did not say if MEA was interested in acquiring all or part of the Cyprus Airways but assured that if the Cypriots agreed to the terms then the Lebanese company would score a major achievement.

“There will be a synergy between both airlines if the talks succeed. MEA could benefit from the low cost of operation and expand the network of its flights abroad,” the source said.

Sources said that the cost of networking for Cyprus Airways was much cheaper than MEA.

These sources said the MEA chairman and one of his top aides paid several visits to Cyprus recently to hold talks with Cyprus Airways.

This is not the first time MEA has held talks with Cyprus Airways, but experts say the deep economic crisis in the island country has compelled the the Cypriot firm to restart the negotiations.

The company laid off hundreds of pilots and staff in a bid to cut the mounting losses, but even these drastic measures have not been sufficient to break even.

MEA, with a fleet of 18 brand new Airbus planes, managed to make an operational profit of $40 million in 2012 in spite of the difficult conditions in Lebanon and the region.

Cyprus Airways incurred a loss of $73.17 million in 2012 despite the drastic cuts the company made last year.

Cyprus Airlines disclosed the talks with MEA in a stock market filing Tuesday, saying that consultations were at an early stage and preliminary, while giving no further details.

The filing said consultations were also being held with other companies. Earlier this month the carrier had announced that there were “encouraging” signs that China’s Beijing Yi Xiang Da Investment could buy it.

The Cypriot government controls 93.67 percent of Cyrus Airways.

The government, which is hoping to keep the carrier operational through the key summer months, has made it clear that the cash-strapped airline must undergo a drastic transformation or be shut down.

The government has described the airline’s current situation as “very difficult and fragile,” and the carrier said authorities had adopted its restructuring plan for the 11 Airbus fleet to be reduced to six with one in reserve.

Trade union estimates said the company has presold 400,000 seats for the summer, and unions say an agreement has been reached to reduce the 1,030-strong workforce by 490.

Last month, it said its future depended on it receiving rescue aid through a 31 million euro government share capital injection which would be subject to European Union approval.

But the European Commission has launched an investigation into whether the money that the state has pumped into Cyprus Airways breached competition law.

[ramynasser]

in case it happened will the cypriot airline become MEA ???

[Rabih]

highly doubt it, it's the national carrier of Cyprus. I think it will be like when Air France acquired Alitalia. It's still called Alitalia but the parent company is officially Air France-KLM

[AmeriLEB]

Sita's technology arrival at Beirut Airport for quick, secure departures

Passengers at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY) are enjoying faster check-in and boarding and on-time departures with the arrival of new systems from SITA, the leading air transport IT provider.

Lebanese Air Transport Co (LAT), which manages departure control services for 15 airlines that use the airport, has switched to SITA's Departure Control Services (DCS). More than 120 airlines and ground handlers globally use this world-class system.

As part of the five-year agreement, SITA is providing full network connectivity and local support at the airport. In addition, LAT is one of the first ground handlers to benefit from SITA's next generation weight and balance system, which ensures that planes are loaded and dispatched safely and effectively using the latest graphical user interfaces.

Ibrahim Chehab, General Manager, Lebanese Air Transport Co., said: "Beirut Airport is experiencing growth, and the need to update our systems was clear. SITA is the ideal partner for us because it provides sophisticated departure control services combined with network connectivity and onsite support.

"Already we are seeing an improvement in our passenger processing, with fully automated boarding and secure check-in services. Our airline customers are used to working with SITA at other airports around the world and enjoy the improvements we have made to the DCS in Beirut. We look forward to welcoming new airlines here."

Hani El-Assaad, President, Middle East, India & Africa, SITA said: "Reducing ground-handling costs while ensuring safety, security and efficiency are constant challenges at airports. And upgrading systems while continuing to service airlines can be very challenging. In Beirut, LAT's move to SITA Departure Control Services and Weight and Balance has gone very smoothly. LAT can now focus on attracting new airline customers with the confidence that they offer the best departure control services in a cost-effective way."

In 2012, Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport handled more than 5.9 million passengers. It is growing at a rate of 8% annually.

Air Arabia increases Beirut flights to double daily

Air Arabia, the first and the largest low-cost carrier (LCC) in the Middle East and North Africa, announced the expansion of service to the Lebanese capital, Beirut, from the carrier's primary hub in Sharjah, UAE, making it easier and more convenient for passengers to visit the capital city.

The low-cost pioneer currently offers nine weekly flights to Beirut. Starting May 1, 2013, the carrier will offer flights 14 times per week, departing Sharjah International Airport daily at 08:00 and 18:15. Return flights depart Beirut International Airport daily at 12:00 and 22:15 (local time).

"Beirut was among the first destinations we started serving when Air Arabia launched operations October 2003. Today's announcement further underscores Air Arabia's commitment to Lebanese market, and we are proud to see services increased to double daily, thus connecting our customers in UAE and Lebanon with a great frequency and un-beatable fares," said Adel Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia.

Since its launch, Air Arabia's network has expanded to serve over 85 destinations from hubs in the UAE, Morocco and Egypt. The airline's passenger traffic climbed over 13% to serve 5.3 million passengers in 2012. In the same year, the airline reported an impressive seat load factor of 82%, indicating the strong demand for Air Arabia's value for money services.

[AmeriLEB]

Lufthansa stronger than ever in Beirut - record growth

Beirut, 25 April 2013: Lufthansa connects Beirut to Europe and North America via its hub in Frankfurt more than ever. In 2012, more than 130,000 passengers chose Lufthansa for flights between Beirut and many destinations worldwide and vice versa. This figure reflects an increase of more than 5 per cent compared to 2011 and a trust bestowed on the airline specifically for its attractive fares on the premium services and easy connections.

"There is so much optimism in our operations in Beirut. Our flights to and from Frankfurt and Berlin are both well received by passengers and they know that Lufthansa offers more connections to Europe, North America and beyond than any other carrier. We are extremely proud to record positive growth in Beirut in times of tough economic situation surrounding the aviation sector", said Carsten Schaeffer, Vice President Sales and Services Southeast Europe, Middle East and Africa during his first official visit in Beirut. "Globally, our Group is on a fleet expansion and on order are another 236 airplanes, valued at more than 22 billion Euros at list prices and scheduled for delivery until 2025".

With the success in 2012, Lufthansa is showing continued strength with an increase in number of passengers for the first quarter 2013 by more than 10 per cent from and to Lebanon. Likewise, with steady demand, Lufthansa expects to operate more than 1,400 Lebanon flights for 2013, up by 13 per cent from 2012.

Arriving in Frankfurt, passengers find easy connections to the airline's choice of flights to 218 destinations in 82 countries. Lufthansa operates 12 weekly flights between Beirut and Frankfurt. Further, Beirut is connected to the German capital Berlin via three weekly flights. Both services to Frankfurt and Berlin are operated with an Airbus A320 aircraft in a two-class cabin configuration, featuring Lufthansa's Business and Economy class.

"With the strength of Lufthansa's network, we are in a position to serve more passengers, complemented by our products onboard and on ground. Providing optimal flights means more flexibility and choices for our customers. Our commitment goes further with the zeal of our team in Beirut offering bespoke packages," said Till Heene, Lufthansa's General Manager in Lebanon.

Lufthansa is expected to further improve its already favourable schedules to North America providing more opportunity for passengers with families in the United States, Canada and South America to be closer. Travellers will enjoy seamless transatlantic voyage with the airline's well-planned connections from Frankfurt to East and West Coast of the U.S.A.(Boston, New York/JFK, Denver, Atlanta and 17 other U.S. cities), Canada, and Brazil (Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro), to name a few.

"In addition to the even better network opportunities from Beirut, Lufthansa committed itself to invest EUR 1million every day (excluding the new airplane orders) for the next 1,000 days in better ground and onboard services. New seats in all classes, individual inflight entertainment in Economy Class, innovative First Class and Business Class as well as brand new lounges, will help us define new industry standards," added Schaeffer.

For traveling to North America, Beirut jetsetters arrive in style via the newest addition to Lufthansa's fleet, the "Queen of the Skies" Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental fitted with the highly-stylish and modern First Class and the new Business Class, both providing more space and comfort.

Lufthansa's First Class products received the 5-star award from Skytrax. On board, the Skytrax rating system singled out the superb comfort of the First Class cabin with ergonomically contoured seats, which convert into a fully flat, two-metre long bed. Lufthansa's First Class cabin staff was also awarded for their onboard service quality. On ground, the First Class Terminal in Frankfurt was praised for its exclusive personal assistant service and the unbeatable food and spa selection.

Passengers from Beirut to Frankfurt will get to enjoy the state-of-the-art, four-level new A Pier at Terminal 1 in Frankfurt airport providing passengers with a chance to relax in a more comfortable surrounding prior to boarding their flights. As well as 23 new gates with seamless connection to the corresponding levels of the existing Terminal 1 building, passengers also find more retail outlets and places to dine, and can relax in any of the five new Lufthansa lounges in the new A Area including Senator, Business and First Class lounges. Most of Lufthansa's Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8 will be boarded there.

Lufthansa and the Lufthansa Group
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is an Aviation Group comprising around 400 subsidiaries and affiliates. The Lufthansa Group is dedicated to quality and innovation, safety and reliability. Headquartered in Germany, the Group operates in five business segments - passenger transportation (Passenger Airline Group), logistics, MRO, catering and IT services. Passenger transportation is the Group's core business: The airlines engaged in the passenger transportation business are Lufthansa Passenger Airlines (including Lufthansa Regional) Austrian Airlines, SWISS and Germanwings as well as stake holdings in Brussels Airlines, JetBlue und SunExpress. In the 2012, the airlines in the Lufthansa Group welcomed more than 103 million passengers on board their flights, making it Europe's leading airline grouping. Operating through the Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, Brussels and Zurich hubs, Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and SWISS jointly serve 285 destinations in 102 countries on four continents, as of summer timetable. The Group fleet currently consists of 629 aircraft - on order are another 236, valued at more than 22 billion Euros at list price and scheduled for delivery until 2025. With its ongoing expenditure in fleet renewal, the Group is consistently making the fleet more cost-efficient and its operations more environment-friendly. End of September 2012 the Lufthansa Group employed more than 120,000 people. In the 2012 business year, it returned revenues totaling 30.1 billion Euros and published an operating result of 524 million Euros. More details are available at www.lufthansa.com.

© Press Release 2013

[AmeriLEB]

Air travel deal with Sudan
Six new destinations starting September

Lebanon and Sudan have signed an amended Memorandum of Understanding to establish passengers and cargo flights to more destinations in Africa through Khartoum. Sudan will also be able to make stopovers at the Rafic Hariri International Airport.

Six destinations will be open for flights from Beirut: Accra (Ghana), Abuja (Nigeria), Johannesburg (South Africa), Luanda (Angola), Libreville (Gabon), and Kinshasa (Congo). Flights are expected to start in September. The national carrier Middle East Airlines (MEA) will start with three trips per week.

The memorandum was first signed in 1971, and then modified in 1995. Daniel Haibi, Acting Director General at the Lebanese Civil Aviation Authority (LCAA) said: “The agreement allows air transport for both passengers and cargo through MEA and Trans Mediterranean Airlines (TMA), and through the Sudanese Airlines.”
Reported by Yassmine Alieh

[kinane]

New low cost route from Barcelona to Beirut starting June !!??

Check:
www.vueling.es

[Rabih]

Vueling to Start Barcelona – Beirut Service from late-June 2013

Vueling from 28JUN13 to 17SEP13 is introducing new service to the Middle East, offering twice weekly Bacelona – Beirut operation, on board Airbus A320 aircraft.

VY7620 BCN2300 – 0400+1BEY 320 15
VY7621 BEY0500 – 0835BCN 320 26

http://airlineroute.net/2013/05/12/vy-bey-jun13/

[Rabih]

and MEA resuming Yerevan, Armenia service starting July 5

First Beirut-Yerevan flight sheduled for July 5

Lebanese airlines will resume direct flights between Beirut and Yerevan with the first one scheduled got July 5, the editor-in-chief of Aztag Beirut-based daily said.
As Shahan Kandaharian told PanARMENIAN.Net negotiations on the matter are being finalized, with Middle East Airlines to operate the flights.
Direct Lebanon-Armenia flights were halted following Armavia air company’s bankruptcy.

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/159034/

[Jayme]

oh thats annoying for me. I had clients that needed to go from Yerevan to Beirut. There was so direct flights. so we just went with fly Dubai/Emirates for September.