Lebanese Trans-Med starts cargo flights with EU, UAE focus

BEIRUT's Trans Mediterranean Airlines (TMA), Lebanon's sole air cargo carrier, has operations with a special focus on flights to Europe and United Arab Emirates, reported the Daily Star of Lebanon.

The announcement came during a ceremony at Rafik Hariri International Airport attended by Lebanese Transport Minister Ghazi Aridi, company chairman Mazen Usal-Bsat and senior officials and executives from the ministry and airport.

The minister stressed that TMA flights were a sign that the Lebanese are not willing to give up hope on the future of the country.

He added that he was impressed by the fact that the new owners of TMA have restructured the airline, which suffered massive financial losses in the past.

In December 2008, Farid Rophael, now chairman of Banque Libano Francaise (BLF), sold his stake in the then defunct TMA for just US$1 to Lebanese businessman Mazen Usal-Bsat, who pledged to settle all of the cargo carrier's $60 million debts.

Established in 1953, TMA was the first cargo airline in Lebanon and the Middle East at that time. But the company's fleet was grounded in mid-2005 after Middle East Airlines (MEA) decided to ferry cargo in its new fleet of Airbuses, eventually prompting TMA's management to suspend operations.

Mr Rophael acquired TMA in 1993 but the company continued to record heavy losses despite attempts to restructure. Mr Usal-Bsat said that TMA was considered one of the largest cargo airlines in the world but added that the Civil War and successive security events had dealt a blow to the company.

"We are today resurrecting the company because we realise that the private sector is the engine of the economy," he said. "Today we have a new Airbus aircraft with a 48-ton capacity."

He added that TMA has inaugurated a 320-metre cooling container at the airport to store goods and products.

TMA currently makes two weekly flights to Europe and one to the UAE and the management hopes to increase the flights to Europe to four times a week.
(Source:www.schednet.com)