SkyTeam to Welcome Middle East Airlines as Future Member

AMSTERDAM and BEIRUT, Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Middle East Airlines – Air Liban (MEA), the national carrier of Lebanon, will sign an agreement on Feb. 28 to officially start the process of joining SkyTeam in 2012.  Customers will benefit from increased access to and from the Middle East and Western Africa.

Welcoming MEA to become a full member is a significant step towards enhancing the global network of the alliance. SkyTeam is actively working to strengthen its presence in the Middle East, one of the world's most important economic regions. MEA will be a valuable addition to the alliance by offering customers increased access to the Middle East and Western Africa.

MEA has continued to improve its products and services to customers ever since it successfully concluded a thorough restructuring plan, destined to modernize and restructure the airline. Key elements of this plan included fleet renewal and rationalization, increasing the density of its European, Middle East and West African network and improving product quality and consistency.

SkyTeam has made significant progress in attracting new members. In 2010 China Eastern and its daughter company Shanghai Airlines, China Airlines, Garuda Indonesia and Aerolineas Argentinas all confirmed their future membership in SkyTeam. In January 2011 Saudi Arabian Airlines was the first member from the Middle East to announce its membership. Adding MEA as the second member from this region complements the network offer to SkyTeam customers and illustrates the continuing global expansion that SkyTeam accelerated last year.

About SkyTeam

SkyTeam is a global airline alliance providing customers from member airlines access to an extensive global network with more destinations, more frequencies and more connectivity. Passengers can earn and redeem Frequent Flyer Miles throughout the SkyTeam network. SkyTeam member airlines offer customers over 420 lounges worldwide. The thirteen members are: Aeroflot, Aeromexico, Air Europa, Air France, Alitalia, China Southern, Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Kenya Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Korean Air, TAROM and Vietnam Airlines. SkyTeam offers its 385 million annual passengers a worldwide system of over 12,500 daily flights to 898 destinations in 169 countries. www.skyteam.com

About Middle East Airlines

Middle East Airlines, the national airline of Lebanon, is one of the leading Middle Eastern carriers. From its home base in Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Middle East Airlines flies to 30 international destinations in Europe, Middle East and West Africa. Since 2003 the airline has carried an ambitious fleet renewal program, with the addition of 4 A330-200s and the acquisition of 6 A321s and 6 A320s which make up the current Middle East Airline fleet. MEA offers its customers very luxurious services both on ground and on board, reflecting the Lebanese culture and hospitality. For more information about the company visit www.mea.com.lb

SOURCE SkyTeam