Lebanese carrier Middle East Airlines (MEA) has added its first Airbus A321neo to its fleet.
MEA’s first A321neo, registered as T7-ME1, took off from Airbus’ production site in Hamburg Finkenwerder on Friday, July 10. In the following months, Middle East Airlines is set to receive another eight A321neo aircraft. The airline’s A321neo is equipped with a two-class layout that can carry 160 passengers (28 in business and 132 in economy class). Furthermore, the aircraft has an in-flight entertainment system and on-board wifi connection. The Airbus A321neo (‘new engine option’) is the more fuel efficient successor of the A321.
With its hub located in Beirut, Lebanon, the airline serves 32 destinations worldwide. Currently, MEA’s fleet consists of 13 Airbus A320-200 and five Airbus A330-200. Founded in 1945, the airline celebrates its 75th anniversary earlier this year. 2020 turns out to be the most challenging year in the airline’s long history, due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic and the struggling Lebanese economy.
Jarne is a Germany-based contributor for IFN.news.