Lebanon's Middle East Airlines (MEA) second at bat for SkyTeam in the Middle East

Middle East Airlines (MEA) formally joined SkyTeam on 28-Jun-2012, becoming the alliance's 17th member and second anchor in the fast growing Middle East region. With the addition of Saudi Arabia Airlines (Saudia) to SkyTeam at the end of May-2012, SkyTeam has swiftly and firmly expanded its presence in the region, which had previously been one of the alliance's chief white spots.

With a fleet of 16 aircraft and only 30 destinations MEA does not have the heft of Saudia, or some other prospective alliance partners in the region. But it also does not come with the baggage that some other partners would bring. Unlike the 'Big 3' of the Gulf region - Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airlines - MEA's ambitions and international reach are relatively modest and will not significantly overlap with existing SkyTeam members. It has also been consistently profitable over the past decade, something of a rarity for smaller state-owned carriers in the Middle East, and has an efficient, modern fleet offering reasonable service and product standards.