Exclusive: Lebanon’s Aviation Watchdog Probes MEA Safety as Pilot Unions Warn of Conflict Risks

By Allison Lampert

June 3 (Reuters) — Lebanon’s aviation regulator has completed a safety audit of Middle East Airlines (MEA) amid mounting pressure from pilot unions who say the carrier has put crews and passengers at risk by operating flights near active conflict zones and retaliating against those who report incidents, according to internal correspondence seen by Reuters.

The audit puts a spotlight on Beirut-based MEA, the country’s flagship airline, which has continued flying throughout years of war and economic collapse — even as many foreign carriers have rerouted away from large swaths of Middle Eastern airspace since the onset of hostilities between Iran and Israel on February 28, 2024, citing risks from missiles and drones.

MEA, which operates a fleet of about 20 aircraft connecting the Middle East, Europe and West Africa, has been widely praised in Lebanon for maintaining vital links for the diaspora and propping up an economy increasingly reliant on remittances. But pilots and their representative bodies argue that the airline is taking unwarranted gambles.

In a public statement issued Wednesday, MEA said it decided to keep flying “after acquiring international guarantees that the airport would remain outside the conflict area.” It described the audit, conducted over the past two weeks, as a “long-scheduled annual procedure unrelated to the letter,” and noted that the airline has not had a single accident in 60 years.

Earlier, MEA told Reuters that all flights during military hostilities are based on risk assessments developed jointly with Lebanon’s government and the Lebanese Civil Aviation Authority (LCAA), and that its safety record is “strong and proven.”

Since early 2024, multiple Israeli airstrikes have landed near Beirut’s only commercial airport, fueling alarm among the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA), a global union of pilot organizations. The federation pointed to the history of civilian aircraft being shot down in or near conflict zones, including the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014.

“While some may think flying civilian aircraft and passengers in high-risk and conflict zones during war conditions is heroic, we consider this an unconscionable risk,” IFALPA President Ron Hay wrote in a May 12 letter to Lebanon’s central bank, Banque du Liban, which holds a majority stake in MEA.

Banque du Liban directed inquiries to MEA. In response, the airline said: “The son of the chairman of MEA and the son of the chairman of LCAA are both captains at MEA and flew throughout the period.”

REGULATOR CONDUCTS MEA SAFETY AUDIT

LCAA head Mohammed Aziz, an air-crash investigator, replied to IFALPA in a May 15 letter, stating his team would conduct an aviation safety audit on MEA and “engage in a dialogue to discuss the concerns you stated.”

MEA said the oversight activity, which ran from May 18 to June 1, confirmed the carrier’s compliance with “regulatory and operational safety requirements.” Aziz told Reuters a closing meeting with MEA was held on Monday, but the audit report is still being processed. “We were in the process of mediating between the pilots and MEA,” he said.

MEA’s Wednesday statement said the audit results “refuted the allegations” but provided no further details.

One MEA pilot, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that aviators have a financial incentive to fly because per-flight payments make up the bulk of their salaries — which have been slashed since Lebanon’s economic collapse began in 2019.

IFALPA, supported by other aviator groups, flagged cases where pilots reported unintentional errors with the aim of improving safety, only to be punished with mandatory “training” sessions that deprive them of those per-flight payments. “We know definitely that pilots have spoken up and there have been actions taken against them,” Hay said by phone.

MEA rejected those claims, saying training assignments align with regulatory requirements and “should not be misconstrued as disciplinary or retaliatory measures.” In its statement, MEA said that of 32,000 flights it operated since the start of 2025, only four required review by the safety and operations unit, and five pilots were sent for additional training flights as a result. The airline added that no such training flights were undertaken in 2026.

PILOTS CONTACT PARTNER AIRLINES IN U.S., EUROPE

The safety concerns have prompted pilot groups to reach out to the SkyTeam airline alliance, which includes MEA alongside carriers like Air France and Delta Air Lines. “If you put your passengers in the plane of a colleague airline, then for sure you want to be sure the level of safety is where you want it to be,” said Dara van Langen, chair of the SkyTeam Pilots Association.

Both the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency require airlines under their jurisdiction to audit foreign codeshare partners to ensure a comparable level of safety. Air France, which has a codeshare agreement with MEA, said it regularly audits all codeshare partners. SkyTeam and Delta, which has a less extensive interline agreement, said they were aware of pilot concerns and were monitoring the situation, emphasizing that safety is paramount.

MEA PAYS CIVIL AVIATION WORKERS

IFALPA also raised concerns about MEA providing payments to LCAA employees who oversee aviation safety. An internal spreadsheet of financial assistance for the month of November, reviewed by Reuters, showed dozens of LCAA employees received payments from MEA, including three aviation safety workers. “If the oversight of your airline is being partly paid by your airline, then you don’t want to speak up, do you?” Hay said.

MEA acknowledged it has provided financial support in coordination with the government to keep Lebanon’s aviation infrastructure running after the currency collapse, which cut air traffic controllers’ pay by more than 90% to less than $100 a month. The carrier insisted the support does not affect the LCAA’s “independence, authority, or oversight responsibilities,” adding that auditors and agency leaders, including Aziz, do not receive payments.

Reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal; additional reporting by Maya Gebeily in Beirut; editing by Jamie Freed and Alexander Smith