By Wassim Chemaitelli

MEA 'S BASE IN BEIRUT

In 1973, MEA issued a brochure describing its technical base. This brochure, probably an update of the 1962 document detailed in another section, lists in English and French MEA's technical achievements. Rightfully described as one of the biggest success stories of the region, the maintenance base in 1972 covered 27000 m2, employed 1450 highly qualified engineers, was granted the approval of airworthiness authorities worldwide and provided service to 82 international customers including the world's largest airlines (Air France, American Airlines, Pan Am, BOAC etc) as well as most of the regional airlines and some military authorities (Abu Dhabi, Lebanese, Jordanian, Somali, Sudanese Air Forces, USAF, US Navy). Furthermore, in September 1971, MEA's base became the first in the world to carry out a major Boeing modification (SB3036) on the wing of a Boeing 720 B, raising its weight from 222000 lbs to 230000 lbs, resulting in a substantial increase in the aircraft's payload. The brochure unfolds as a poster with MEA's headquarters' map. These headquarters, as shown on the picture below, are located just next to Beirut International Airport. 

 
This aerial view of MEA's headquarters dates back to 1972. It shows in the background MEA Boeing 707s, the last MEA Caravelle as well as an Air-India Limited Boeing 707. The MEA brochure is from Issa Barakat's collection.

The brochure unfolds as a map of MEA's headquarters.
The following table details the key to this map. From Issa Barakat's collection.

The MEA brochure was concluded with the following statement: " The MEA base has come along way since 1945. With the present rate of development it is likely to cover even more ground and to earn more laurels over the coming years".

Instead, MEA had long and difficult years ahead. As a result of Lebanon's war, Beirut International Airport was shelled and attacked at various times. However, MEA maintained its presence in its Beirut headquarters even in times of airport closures and siege, and was technically always ready to resume operations when tensions eased and the airport reopened. The success story continued, but with an unexpected twist, that of an airline surviving against all odds.  The document on Reginald Turnill's book details MEA's adjustment during the 1976 events, as MEA's headquarters turned into the Cedarjet Hotel,  for employees unable to return to their homes because of the fighting.  My document on MEA's engineering facility in 1981 features some pictures taken in MEA's base at a brief period of calm during these troubled times.
In 1982, Beirut International Airport was attacked, shelled and occupied during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. The events surrounding that period are best described in Mr Wafic Ajouz (then MEA's Vice President for Public Relations) 's memoirs, written by John Munro, in a book entitled "Out on a Wing".  Six Boeing 720s were destroyed during the shelling of the airport by the Israeli forces. A few weeks before the actual arrival of the Israeli troops to the airport, amidst shelling and chaos, MEA had to move its employees from the headquarters to the Gefinor - Hamra city offices except around 30 MEA staff volunteers who remained at the headquarters and litterally deterred with arms looters away from MEA's installations until the Israeli army took over. The Israelis occupied MEA's headquarters for 5 days, during which the valuable computer installations remained untouched despite petty theft and minor vandalism. The Israelis eventually handed control thereafter to the Lebanese army. During that period MEA's own firefighters had heroically contained damage of the fuel storage facility, saving the airline hundreds of thousands of US dollars. In 1983, the situation in the airport improved temporarily,and MEA was even able to expand its base with a new hangar, big enough to handle 2 Boeing 747s side by side, for wide bodied jets. The hangar enabled the airline to handle Boeing 747 overhauls, saving over 2 million USD over each operation and was built with the help of a Hong Kong based firm.

MEA's "Boeing 747 hangar" under construction in 1983. Photo: MEA. In Cedarjet Magazine, N°13, 08-1983. From Issa Barkat's Collection.

As war in Lebanon ended in the early nineties, the Lebanese government restored its authority and invested heavily in the reconstruction of Beirut International Airport, and the result is an unquestionnable success, as you can read in more detail through the airport's page.  The image below is the newest map I was able to find on MEA's base. Dated from 1999 (with the only sketch of a Boeing 707 in the new livery I know of) it is largely ispired by the impressive 1973 map, and reflects an undeniable continuity despite the density of the events between the 2 maps.

MEA's Base in a more recent version, published in July 1999 in the CedarNews in-house publication. From Mike Kara's collection.

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