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“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 MEA.

The central bank, known as the Banque du Liban, referred Reuters to MEA.

“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,” the airline said.

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

MEA said oversight activity conducted by !the LCAA on MEA from May 18 to June 1 confirmed the carrier’s compliance with “regulatory !and operational safety requirements.”

Aziz told Reuters a closing meeting with the airline was held on Monday, but the LCAA audit was still being processed, and “we were in !the process of mediating” between the pilots and MEA.

One MEA pilot interviewed by Reuters said aviators had a financial incentive to fly since !per-flight payments made up a majority of their salaries, with their base salary slashed due to a Lebanese economic collapse that began in 2019.

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