Medical and Hospital News
WAR REPORT
Braving war: Lebanon's 'badass' airline defies odds
Braving war: Lebanon's 'badass' airline defies odds
By Layal Abou Rahal
Beirut, Lebanon (AFP) Oct 9, 2024

After narrowly escaping Israeli air strikes, Lebanese mother Tanaz Agha shared a picture taken from her plane window as she flew out of Beirut.

"Proud to be a Lebanese who can travel on my national airline in a time of war," the 46-year-old says she told her friends on social media.

As Israel ramped up air strikes against Lebanese armed group Hezbollah two weeks ago, most airlines stopped flying to the country.

National carrier Middle East Airlines (MEA) remains the only carrier still serving Beirut despite the mounting risks and past hits on the runways.

Agha and her daughters, aged 11 and 13, were on their way to the airport when an Israeli air strike pounded the capital's adjacent southern suburbs on September 27, killing Hezbollah's chief Hassan Nasrallah.

The ordeal left her deeply shaken.

It "was an extremely horrifying experience", said Agha, adding she had expected to find the departure lounge in chaos.

But instead airport employees comforted her when she broke down in tears.

"Most of the staff have family in those areas. You could hear them receiving calls. You could see their eyes full of tears," she said.

- 'What a nation' -

As her plane took off for Cyprus, Agha snapped a picture of the Lebanese cedar on the airplane's winglet and declared her admiration on social media.

"That same airplane will bring that same crew back into a war zone in a few hours," she said. "What a nation, what a people, what an airline."

Agha is just one of many Lebanese singing the praises of the company.

"MEA is the most badass airline on the planet," one social media user wrote recently.

The escalation over the past fortnight has killed more than 1,100 people, wounded over 3,800 and displaced more than one million, according to official figures.

Despite the risks, MEA aircraft continue to land and take off, as seen in AFP's live video feed of the southern suburbs.

A picture shared online shows an Israeli strike from a plane window.

On flight into Beirut on Tuesday, a handful of anxious travellers repeatedly sought reassurances from the cabin crew that they would make it safely, an AFP journalist said.

As the dangers increase, the Lebanese government last week said it would cover the cost of the insurance so that flights in and out could continue.

The United States warned Israel on Monday not to attack Beirut airport or the roads leading to it.

Transport Minister Transport Ali Hamieh on Tuesday said Beirut had received "assurances" that Israel would not target the country's only international airport, though those were not full guarantees.

- 'Commitment' -

Since the start of cross-border fire between Lebanon and Hezbollah last year, after war erupted in Gaza, MEA has taken measures such as parking some of its planes in Cyprus or Turkey.

Israel targeted Beirut airport and its planes in previous conflicts.

During the 33-day war between both sides in 2006, Israeli strikes hit the runways and fuel tanks, knocking it out of service.

In 1968, the country lost half of its civilian fleet after an Israeli special forces operation blew up 14 airplanes in less than half an hour, without any casualties.

It came in retaliation for an attack by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine on an Israeli plane two days earlier in which the militants took hostages.

According to Israeli media reports, Israel's current prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was among those who carried out the raid.

During the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, Israeli forces tried to seize the airport, clashing fiercely with Palestinian groups in its surroundings.

Retired MEA captain Elie al-Rasi, 68, still remembers working from the 1980s during the 1975-90 civil war.

"The airport was repeatedly targeted," and the company would fly planes out of the country to safety so they were not hit, he said.

In a divided Beirut, sometimes he had to cross checkpoints on foot to get to work, he added.

Rasi said the airport had continued to serve customers in much worse circumstances than those today.

"No crew can say 'We don't want to fly' because MEA is the national carrier and it has to serve Lebanese, just like a doctor must treat the wounded during war," he said.

"It's a commitment."

Related Links
Space War News

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
WAR REPORT
Coming winter could be 'toughest' of war for Ukraine: NATO chief
Brussels, Belgium (AFP) Oct 8, 2024
NATO chief Mark Rutte on Tuesday warned this winter could be the most difficult faced by Ukraine since Russia invaded in 2022, calling for allies to ramp up arms supplies. "NATO must and will do more to help Ukraine," Rutte, who took over at the helm of the alliance this month, told journalists. "Russia continues to carry out massive strikes against Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure. Ukraine could be facing its toughest winter since the full-scale invasion began." US President Joe Bid ... read more

WAR REPORT
Biden slams Trump for 'onslaught of lies' over hurricanes

'Evacuate now, now, now': Florida braces for next hurricane

Tearful Turkish-Lebanese evacuate Lebanon by sea

Paying out disaster relief before climate catastrophe strikes

WAR REPORT
LEO satellites hold the key to resilient, interference-free navigation

China launches two more satellites for Beidou navigation system

SpaceX launches European Galileo satellites to medium Earth orbit

OneWeb Technologies unveils Astra PNT Solution for GPS-Denied Environments

WAR REPORT
Trumpet star Marsalis says jazz creates 'balance' in divided world

Can we 'recharge' our cells?

Swiss prosecutor asks one person be held over suicide pod use

Undiscovered Neolithic society sheds light on early Mediterranean history

WAR REPORT
Wildlife populations plunge 73% since 1970: WWF

Ailing New Zealand butterfly collector gives away life's work

Thousands bid farewell to Tokyo zoo pandas before return to China

EU supports reduced protection for wolves; Finnish zoo to return pandas to China early

WAR REPORT
New study reinforces theory Covid emerged at Chinese market

'Virus hunters' track threats to head off next pandemic

Italy records year's first indigenous case of dengue fever

US patient dies from rare mosquito-borne disease

WAR REPORT
Artist Marina Abramovic hopes first China show offers tech respite

Senior UK judge becomes fifth to leave top Hong Kong court

China's 'red collectors' cherish bygone Maoist era

China's slowdown highlights economic inequality in Shanghai

WAR REPORT
Hungary's Orban says corks will pop if Trump wins US election

Pay up or move out: Drug gangs rob Ecuadorans of homes

UN warns Iraq becoming major regional drug conduit

Guns n' ganja: Weapons flood Catalonia's cannabis trade

WAR REPORT
Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.