Reuters — Lebanon’s aviation regulator has launched a safety audit of Middle East Airlines (MEA) as pilot groups raised concerns that crews were being asked to fly close to airstrikes and penalized for reporting safety incidents, according to letters seen by Reuters.

The audit puts scrutiny on the Beirut-based flag carrier, which has kept the country connected through war and financial collapse even as many foreign airlines have avoided large parts of Middle East airspace because of missile and drone risks since the US-Israeli war against Iran began in February.

MEA, which has a fleet of around 20 planes operating in the Middle East, Europe and West Africa, has been praised at home for continuing to fly during regional conflict and helping to prop up a weak economy that is more dependent than ever on tourism and remittances from expatriates.

The airline said it has a strong and proven safety record, and that any flights during military hostilities were conducted based on risk assessments developed alongside Lebanon’s government and aviation regulator, the Lebanese Civil Aviation Authority (LCAA).

But since 2024, multiple Israeli airstrikes have landed near Lebanon’s largest airport, raising concerns among the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA), a global federation of pilot unions, given the history of civilian aircraft being shot down in or near conflict zones.

The aviation concerns have grown as Israeli strikes on Lebanon stepped up this year during a widening conflict with Hezbollah, that began with missile and drone attacks on Israel by the terror group on March 2 in support of its patron Iran.

“While some may think that 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, which holds a majority share in........

© The Times of Israel