Flag carrier Middle East Airlines (MEA) was grounded in the Lebanese capital on Tuesday as pilots staged a 48-hour strike over the dismissal of a colleague undergoing treatment for cancer. "We have grounded 10 out of 15 flights today," said Captain Fadi Khalil, head of the pilots' union.
"Unfortunately 15 out of 180 MEA pilots have not abided by the strike, but we plan on continuing until tomorrow night," Khalil told AFP. MEA pilots announced a strike from 2000 GMT on Monday to 2000 GMT Wednesday, covering all flights, over the sacking of a cancer-striken captain. Khalil said the captain had served the airline for 38 years and was laid off as soon as he went on sick leave. One disgruntled passenger at Beirut airport on Tuesday described a scene of "total chaos" at the check-in counters, adding he had given up on trying to find a flight out of the country. Journalists were not allowed past airport security.
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