Airbus Says MEA Proposes To Buy 10 Neo Jets
European aircraft maker Airbus announced Thursday that Lebanese airline MEA has proposed to buy ten of its single-aisle neo passenger planes.
Airbus did not disclose the deal amount for the aircraft, which have a combined list price of $1.0 billion at list prices.
"Middle East Airlines-Air Liban (MEA), the flag carrier of Lebanon, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for five A320neo and five A321neo aircraft plus eight options," Airbus said in an official statement.
The deal was unveiled at the Farnborough International Airshow -- a key event in the aviation sector calendar that typically sees plane makers Airbus and Boeing battle for orders.
"MEA is focused on continuing to grow and improving its profitability at the same time as offering its passengers a very luxurious service," added MEA Chairman-Director General, Mohamad El Hout in the statement.
"Adding the A320neo to our fleet means we can achieve all of these goals while benefiting from a 15 percent fuel saving and cost effectiveness."
Airbus' A320 neo series is going head to head with US rival Boeing's upcoming 737 MAX planes in the battle for short-haul aircraft orders at the Farnborough airshow near London which runs until the end of the week.
12 July 2012, 13:08
21
GREAT NEWS, MEA does indeed provide excellent service, reliability, and security. Hopefully the situation in Lebanon stabilizes very soon, and MEA will be able to soar back to its pre-civil war glory.
12 July 2012, 13:37
11
why not get 4 A380s and travel on two populas lebanese routes: sydeny-beirut, brasillias- beirut?
12 July 2012, 14:22
00
MEA is still not allowed to land in north america due to security concerns... i'm not sure if it's the same for australia. but small steps and MEA will be a link between east and west!
12 July 2012, 14:05
00
Excellent!! Expansions are necessary. More routes are a must. Targeting central European destinations is crucial. MEA should also consider expanding Eastwards by acquiring more wide body aircraft. It would be useful if the company would also focus on transit business!
12 July 2012, 14:09
20
MEA is the only well run government company in Lebanon--they provide great service---
12 July 2012, 15:15
00
John, those routes are not profitable, as only Leb. expats will take them during school holidays... such long distance flights need to work the whole year round, with many frequencies a week and a substantial number of Business class bookings per flight. Unfortunately,there are no trade links between BEY and Australia or Brazil that justify the routes, besides BEY is not a transit hub a la Dubai, or Doha. MEA is doing the right thing concentrating on profitable routes, offering lots of frequencies and good service.
13 July 2012, 06:21
01
I was like the two guests above until MEA started screwing up. Indeed, I used to book flights with them directly over the phone then head to their agency in the european capital I live in before learning that my seat had been given away to some of their personal friends, hence leaving me with a more expensive ticket (150 euros more). This happened to me last year and the year before. My friend here also had a similar experience. He however booked straight at the agency at a hefty price whilst some other lebanese get a serious discount... This is totally corrupt. I no longer fly MEA and feel better about it. The service is no longer what it used to be. MEA, non merci!
