3 - Libya, just when the leader decides to crush the opposition
2 weeks ago, Egypt was in chaos. Now at the end of February, the situation seems to have stabilised, and Egypt has a chance of flourishing over the next 5 years. David Cameron was in Cairo to meet the military Govt this week.
Places like Libya are less stable than much of the EU and come with higher risks, but it also means competition tends to be reduced and an airline has a better chance of making some good money.
AFAIK, stable routes like LHR-AMS were not particularly profitable for bmi
In 2005, Ethiopia was on the verge of a revolution, but bmi still fly there.
The separation of South Sudan from the Khartoum Govt could have ended far more messily - but bmi still flies that route.
The UK and Iran have not been friendly for many years, but bmi still flies to Tehran.
The USA regards (or used to regard) Syria with contempt - bmi still flies to Damascus
Kyrgyzstan has had a very varied politics over the last 10 years - bmi still flies to Bishkek
I could go on - but you probably get the point. The violent phase of a revolution usually lasts a short period of time. After that, life has to go on, people still need to meet to do business and money gets paid for seats on flights.
For the time being, I have faith that Tripoli will be a long term money spinner for bmi