Lebanon's MEA ends A321 operations

Lebanon's MEA sees fleet take fire during New Year festivity

Lebanon's MEA to stop accepting domestic USD payments

MEA - Middle East Airlines (ME, Beirut) will cease to accept payments for its services in US Dollar transfers from deposits held in Lebanese banks due to their lack of liquidity, the Financial Times has reported.

The flag carrier, which is majority-owned by the Lebanese central bank, is now demanding payments in "fresh dollars", namely US dollars not deposited in Lebanese banks, Chairman Mohamad el-Hout said.

The Lebanese money market is highly dollarized with many citizens and businesses traditionally depositing their savings in US Dollars. Lebanese banks formally hold USD87 billion in deposits, around 80% of the country's total savings. However, as multiple crises have ravaged the country's economy, banks have restricted the liquidity of these funds. They currently only permit domestic transfers of dollars and select "urgent" international payments. Clients can also withdraw Lebanese pound-equivalents of their dollar deposits, converted at the official rate - which stands at half of the black market dollar rate.

"A dollar in the banks is equivalent to 40% of a dollar outside Lebanon... I will have all of...

Int'l carriers suspend Armenia ops as Azeri conflict flares

The escalation of a long-running conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region has seen Ukraine International Airlines (PS, Kyiv Boryspil) and various other carriers cancelling flights to Yerevan.

Both Armenia and Azerbaijan imposed martial law as the countries accused each other for the renewed clashes from September 27, 2020. Heavy artillery fire from both sides resulted in nearly 100 casualties, including civilians, reported BBC and Euronews. Armenia released a picture of an Armenian Su-25 jet it claimed was shot down by a Turkish F-16 on September 29. Turkey, which is backing Azerbaijan, denied the claim. Following calls for a ceasefire from France, Russia and the US, Armenia on October 2 said it was prepared to engage with the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to re-establish a ceasefire.

The disputed region is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, but ethnic Armenians have controlled the territory since a 1988-1994 war between the two former Soviet republics. The latest fighting was the heaviest seen in the long-running conflict since 2016, reports...

Saudi Arabia partially lifts travel ban

Saudi Arabia has lifted its suspension on international flights for certain travellers, but will only fully reopen its skies in January 2021.

Since September 15, 2020, certain categories of Saudi citizens and residents are allowed to travel, including public and military sector employees, diplomats and their families, those working for public or non-profit private sector jobs abroad, business travellers, patients who need treatment, those studying abroad, humanitarian cases, and sports teams, the state-owned Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reports. Gulf state citizens and non-Saudi residents with valid residency or visitors' visas may now also enter the country, conditional on proving they are COVID-19 negative. Saudis with proof of residence outside the Kingdom may also travel, and there would be a gradual move toward lifting the Umrah pilgrimage suspension.

The Kingdom would scrap all travel restrictions after January 1, 2021, with a specific date to be announced in December, SPA reports. Saudi Arabia suspended international flights six months ago to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and imposed stringent measures, including 24-hour curfews on most towns and cities.

Saudia...