Due to safety concerns, MEA has announced it has decided to park part of its fleet in Istanbul. The aircraft were already not in use daily due to the summer season being over. The airline did also communicate it will continue to operate all of its scheduled flights as planned.
According to the airline's statement, MEA will park at lease four A321neos and one A330 in Istanbul. So far the following aircraft have now been put into temporary storage:
A321-271NX T7-ME3 (10000), arrived in Istanbul 15 October 2023
A321-271NX T7-ME4 (10068), arrived in Istanbul 13 October 2023
A321-271NX T7-ME5 (10147), arrived in Istanbul 15 October 2023
A330-243 OD-MEB (998), arrived in Istanbul 13 October 2023
MEA's active fleet now consists of nine Airbus A320s, six A321neos,
Airbus Is Putting The Final Touches On Its First A321XLR
Airbus’ first A321XLR has entered the final assembly phase in Hamburg. With manufacturer serial number 11000, the aircraft will act as a test and certification aircraft ahead of the type’s expected entry into service with Middle East Airlines in 2023. The first flight of the plane is expected next year.
Airbus has finished assembling the fuselage of the first A231XLR. Photo: Airbus
The Airbus A321XLR was an instant hit when launched at the 2019 Paris Air Show. According to data from ch-aviation.com, Airbus has clocked orders for almost 450 XLR aircraft since its launch. Before the European manufacturer can start delivering these planes, it must first get the type certified, as was the case with the other A321neo family aircraft that came before the XLR.
Of course, the first of any aircraft typically takes slightly longer to build. While Airbus will plan how to make the plane before starting the project, the processes are still yet to become fully established. Airbus wants to build the XLR across its four A320 family final assembly lines, and with this in mind, the company wants teams at all sites to learn from the experience of building the first aircraft.
The first “flight” of the A321XLR… Photo: Airbus
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Ready to leave FAL Hangar Nine?
The manufacture of the first A321XLR has been taking place in Hangar Nine at the Airbus Hamburg site in Finkenwerder, Germany. According to the planemaker, the aircraft isn’t quite ready to leave the hangar just yer. While most of the aircraft has been built, a few steps remain.
Airbus intends to install a suite of flight test instruments into the aircraft to be used during the aircraft’s test phase. Simple Flying recently got a peek at what such instrumentation looks like on the Boeing 777X in Dubai. Additionally, Airbus still needs to install and test the CFM LEAP engines that will power the jet.
Airbus has updated the neo tail livery for the latest aircraft in the family. Photo: Airbus
Once the landing gear retraction mechanism has been tested, the aircraft will enter the paint shop to receive the final production touches before being handed over to the flight test team. Once the flight test team takes the plane, they will complete a series of ground checks to check that the aircraft operates as expected before it takes to the skies. The final step will see a first flight take part in 2022.
Once the A321XLR has completed its first flight, it will then go through a certification process with EASA and other significant bodies before the first aircraft is delivered to MEA. American Airlines also expects to take its first A321XLRs in 2023, followed by Frontier in 2024 and United Airlines in 2025.
Lessor BOC Aviation has delivered two Airbus A321neo aircraft on lease to Middle East Airlines (MEA) in Lebanon. The Pratt & Whitney-powered jets join three other A321neos in MEA’s fleet, taking the overall count to five A321neos.
MEA has taken two more Airbus A321neo on lease from BOC Aviation. Photo: Airbus
MEA takes two more A321neos
MEA has added two additional Airbus A321neo jets. These were the first two of five on lease from BOC Aviation, a Singapore-based lessor. Robert Martin, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of BOC Aviation, stated the following:
“We are very pleased to deliver our first pair of Airbus A321NEO aircraft on lease to Middle East Airlines, with whom we share a long-term relationship that spans more than 20 years. This delivery is testament to the strong cooperation we share with industry-leading airlines such as Middle East Airlines, especially in this challenging environment. We look forward to working with our customers to provide more fuel-efficient and technologically advanced aircraft solutions in the future.”
MEA uses the Airbus A321neo on flights in the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. Photo: Airbus
MEA’s Airbus A321neo
MEA is a very new Airbus A321neo operator. The carrier received its first jet from Airbus‘ final assembly line in Hamburg, Germany, in early July. The aircraft is configured with room for 160 passengers. This includes 28 in business class and 132 in economy.
MEA’s Airbus A321neos do short- and medium-haul missions. For example, the planes can be found flying from Beirut to cities like Dubai, Cairo, Istanbul, Jeddah, Paris, Copenhagen, and more. As the carrier takes more A321neos, these jets will likely have an expanded flight schedule.
MSN 10,000 of the A320 family went to MEA and is an Airbus A321neo. Photo: Airbus
MEA and Airbus
According to data from Planespotters.net, all of MEA’s 20-strong fleet is from Airbus. This includes five Airbus A321neos, 10 Airbus A320s, and five Airbus A330s. The airline also has a healthy aircraft order book consisting of four Airbus A330-900neos, eight more A321neos, and four Airbus A321XLRs.
This aircraft is a longer-range derivative of the popular Airbus A321neo and will allow MEA to open up new routes in Africa and Asia. It has a 15% greater range than the Airbus A321LR. MEA has not ordered any Airbus A321LR aircraft.
MEA was the launch customer for the Airbus A321XLR. Photo: Airbus c
Airbus Celebrates First Flight Of The A321neo With MSN 10000
On Friday, European planemaker Airbus posted a photo to Twitter accompanied by the words “This is not just another #A321neo. Can you guess what’s so special with this aircraft?” The aircraft photographed was an A321neo and was MSN 10000 – representing a significant milestone for Airbus. The jet was painted in the livery of MEA – the carrier of Lebanon – and is ultimately destined for its new home in Beirut.
A relatively small airline, MEA has a fleet of less than 20 aircraft. The carrier’s current fleet is wholly made up of Airbus aircraft, including the A330 and the A320 family of jets. Photo: Airbus
So what does MSN actually mean?
MSN stands for Manufacturer Serial Number, which is a somewhat self-explanatory term. It’s a unique number assigned to the aircraft used for reference and tracking. According to Vistair, MSNs are used for almost everything, including:
Engineering
Maintenance
Repair
Scheduled maintenance
Flight operations manuals
Data and software
The website also notes that far before MSNs came close to the 10,000-mark, line numbers were only limited to four digits, and a fair amount of work was required to upgrade Airbus information systems and management software to accommodate the extra digit. Presumably, it’s a good problem to be faced with!
Boeing and Airbus do things differently
We do need to note, however, that when it comes to Airbus’ way of doing things, there is a caveat to the term ‘unique.’ For the European manufacturer, the number is unique to the family of aircraft.
Thus, an A380 and A320 can both have identical MSNs (below you’ll see A380 MSN1 and further down is the A320 with MSN1).
Additionally, sources indicate that if the aircraft is subsequently not built (read: an order cancelation), Airbus will not re-use or reallocate the number.
In contrast, an aircraft’s MSN will remain with it for the rest of its ‘life.’
10,000 is a significant milestone for the A320 family of aircraft. Indeed, this group of aircraft only recently overtook its main competitor – the Boeing 737 family of aircraft – for overall orders across all generations. Congratulations to Airbus on the big achievement!
Middle East Airlines Takes Delivery Of Its First Airbus A321neo
Lebanese national flag carrier Middle East Airlines (MEA) has taken delivery of its very first Airbus A321neo. In a statement released yesterday by the European planemaker, Airbus said that the Beirut- based airline had received the aircraft from its factory in Hamburg, Germany.
The A321neo is painted in MEA’s new livery. Photo: Airbus
The delivery of the highly efficient plane is the first of nine Airbus A321neos that the SkyTeam alliance member will take delivery of over the coming months. Powered by Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower PW1100G-JM geared turbofan engines MEA’s new jet is configured in a two-class layout with 28 seats in business class and 123 seats in economy.
Panasonic is supplying the inflight entertainment system
Panasonic Avionics (Panasonic) has been selected by MEA to provide inflight entertainm
ent and connectivity (IFEC) solutions for 15 of its Airbus A321 family aircraft. This partnership will see the Japanese electronics giant provide IFE solutions for all nine of its new Airbus A321neos. Altogether, each aircraft will be fitted with Panasonic’s eX1 seatbackIFE solution. This has been specially designed for narrowbody planes.
According to an MEA press release seen by Simple Flying, the eX1 offers full elegant seatback HD monitors with touch screen displays. Additionally, the handsets have an innovative interface.
Each seat on the new A321neos comes with a USB and laptop charging point. Furthermore, they will have inflight WiFi supplied by Panasonic’s latest next-generation technology. This uses satellite connectivity that is up to 20 times faster than what was previously available.
About Middle East Airlines
Established in 1945, Middle East Airlines is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has brought air travel to a virtual standstill.
MEA is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Photo: MEA
Regarded as being one of the regions significant airlines MEA used to fly pre-coronavirus to 32 international destinations from its base at Rafik Hariri International Airport (BEY) in Beirut. Currently, Middle East Airlines all-Airbus fleet is composed of the following aircraft according to Planespotters.net.
13 Airbus A320-200s
One Airbus A321neo
Five Airbus A330-200s
The Lebanese economy is in trouble
While Middle East Airlines seems to be in good shape, the same cannot be said for Lebanon. Primarily, a combination of the coronavirus and an economic meltdown has the country in a challenging situation. Last week the Lebanese Pound, which has an official rate of 1,507 pounds to the dollar, reached more than 9,000 pounds to the dollar on the black market. Additionally, it shows no sign of stabilizing without intervention.
Le Bourget - Middle East Airlines (MEA), the flag carrier of Lebanon, has signed a firm order for four A321XLRs, making it the launch airline customer of Airbus latest evolution of the winning A321neo family.
The agreement takes Middle East Airlines’ cumulative single aisle orders with Airbus to 15 A321neo family aircraft, including 11 A321neos and 4 A321XLRs with deliveries starting in 2020. MEA will use the A321XLR to strengthen its network in Africa and Asia.
The A321XLR is the next evolutionary step from the A321LR which responds to market needs for even more range and payload, creating more value for the airlines. From 2023, it will deliver an unprecedented Xtra Long Range of up to 4,700nm – 15% more than the A321LR and with 30% lower fuel burn per seat compared with previous generation competitor aircraft. This will enable operators to open new world-wide routes such as India to Europe or China to Australia, as well as further extending the Family’s non-stop reach on direct transatlantic flights between continental Europe and the Americas. For passengers, the A321XLR’s new Airspace cabin will provide the best travel experience, while offering seats in all classes with the same high-comfort as on a long-haul wide-body, with the low costs of a single-aisle aircraft.
The A320neo and its derivatives are the world’s best-selling single-aisle aircraft family with over 6,500 orders from some 100 customers since its launch in 2010. It has pioneered and incorporated the latest technologies, including new generation engines and the industry's reference cabin design, delivering 20% fuel cost per seat savings alone. The A320neo also offers significant environmental benefits with nearly a 50% reduction in noise footprint compared to previous generation aircraft.
Middle East Airlines-Air Liban (MEA), the flag carrier of Lebanon, has signed a firm contract for ten A320neo Family aircraft (five A321neo and five A320neo aircraft). This follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding which was announced on 12th July 2012. MEA will announce its engine choice at a later date.
“Airbus’ A320neo Family is the ideal choice for an airline such as Middle East Airlines,” said MEA Chairman-Director General, Mohamad El Hout. “An aircraft offering fuel burn saving, high reliability as well as a modern and comfortable cabin is a sound investment in anyone’s books.”
“Middle East Airlines is going to be well positioned with these A320neo Family aircraft in its fleet to maintain its record as one of the most successful airlines in the dynamic Middle East region,” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. “We are convinced the NEO will deliver on its promises as the most fuel efficient single aisle aircraft and look forward to seeing MEA taking full advantage of all the benefits this aircraft offers.”
MEA operates one of the most modern fleets in the Middle East region with four A330-200s, four A321s and ten A320s.
The A320neo ‘new engine option’ for the A320 Family will enter into service from late 2015. It incorporates latest generation engines and large Sharklet wing-tip devices, which together will deliver up to 15 percent in fuel savings which is equivalent to 1.4 million litres of fuel - the consumption of 1,000 mid size cars, saving 3,600 tonnes of C02 per aircraft per year. With more than 1,600 firm orders since its launch in 2010, the A320neo Family has proven to be the fastest selling commercial aircraft programme ever.
The A320 Family is the world’s best-selling and most modern single aisle aircraft Family. To date, close to 8,900 aircraft have been ordered and over 5,300 delivered to more than 380 customers and operators worldwide
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. MEA will announce its engine choice at a later date.
“MEA is focused on continuing to grow and improving its profitability at the same time as offering its passengers a very luxurious service,” said MEA Chairman-Director General, Mohamad El Hout. “Adding the A320neo to our fleet means we can achieve all of these goals while benefitting from a 15 percent fuel saving and cost effectiveness.”
“We thank MEA for their continued confidence in Airbus and are confident that this order for our fuel efficient A320neo will put them ahead of the competition,” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. “We’re looking forward to seeing MEA’s A320neo’s operating seamlessly alongside their current generation A320 Family and delivering them with savings through reduced maintenance and pilot training costs that come from the high degree of commonality between the models.”
MEA operates one of the most modern fleets in the Middle East region with four A330-200s, four A321s and nine A320s.
The A320neo Family is a new engine option for the A320 Family entering into service from late 2015 and incorporates latest generation engines and large "Sharklet" wing tip devices, which together will deliver up to 15 percent in fuel savings. The A320neo NOx emissions are 50 percent below CAEP/6 and this aircraft also has a considerably smaller noise footprint. Over 8,500 A320 Family aircraft have been ordered and more than 5,100 delivered to 365 customers and operators worldwide.
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