“Lebanon Debate” – Walid Khoury
Lebanon Debate is unique in publishing the letter sent by the International Federation of Airline Pilots Associations (IFALPA) to the Governor of the Banque du Liban, Karim Said, which included a series of accusations and observations related to the culture of air safety within Middle East Airlines (MEA), the mechanisms for managing safety-related reports, and the management’s relationship with pilots.
This message gains exceptional importance not only because of the party that issued it, but also because of the repercussions that it may have on the image of the Lebanese civil aviation sector. Rafic Hariri International Airport is Lebanon’s only air port to the outside world, and any international skepticism about its safety level reflects directly on the country’s reputation and the confidence of airlines and international institutions working in this sector.
According to a review of the content of the letter, it talks about an “escalating risk environment” and the possibility of aviation accidents occurring and exposing passengers and air crews to danger, but it does not include a review of documented air accidents, independent audit reports, or technical investigations proving the existence of a direct operational risk of the magnitude that the accusations contained therein suggest.
Informed sources reveal to “Lebanon Debate” that the background to the current escalation is due to chronic disputes between the Lebanese Pilots Syndicate and the management of Middle East Airlines, a large part of which is related to professional and financial issues, most notably salaries, incentives, and financial benefits.
Sources confirm that these files were strongly present during the union’s meetings with official officials. According to the information, a number of pilots have been demanding for years to review their salaries to be close to the levels approved by international airlines, despite the fact that the salaries of pilots in the “Middle East” are among the highest in Lebanon and in many cases exceed $10,000 per month.
However, what is most dangerous, according to the sources, is not related to the financial disputes themselves, but rather to the method adopted to manage them. Raising the Lebanese air safety issue at the international level and turning it into a subject of debate outside the Lebanese borders places Beirut Airport and the entire civil aviation sector under the microscope of international institutions and global airlines.
In this context, the sources pose a basic professional question: If the International Federation of Airline Pilots Associations (IFALPA) actually considers that there is a serious danger threatening the safety of passengers and aircraft and endangering lives, why did it not turn to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) or to the competent international regulatory bodies to demand urgent measures or an immediate investigation? Why did he choose to address his letter to the Governor of the Bank of Lebanon, in his capacity as the company’s majority shareholder? The sources believe that the answer to this question is sufficient to determine whether the matter is actually related to an aviation safety file that requires urgent technical intervention, or an administrative and union dispute that has been transferred to the international arena under the title of air safety.
The sources point out that the letter relies mainly on data and complaints issued by the Lebanese Pilots Syndicate, without referring to an independent investigation, external audit, or impartial supervisory report that reached the same results, which raises questions about the extent to which the accusations presented are based on proven technical facts or the point of view of one of the parties to the current conflict.
As for the most serious accusation in the letter, it relates to the reference to what it described as “direct compensation” paid to employees in the General Directorate of Civil Aviation and the Ministry of Public Works and Transport by the company’s management, in a clear implication that this aid affects the independence of oversight. However, the sources confirm that these contributions were not limited to the Civil Aviation Directorate, but rather came in an exceptional context imposed by the financial collapse that struck state institutions, and included multiple departments and facilities with the approval of the concerned official authorities, with the aim of ensuring business continuity and preventing the collapse of basic services related to the airport and civil aviation.
The letter also criticizes the continued operation of flights during periods of war and security tensions, and considers this an unjustified risk. However, this proposal ignores the fact that keeping Rafic Hariri International Airport open during that stage was not only a commercial decision, but rather a national decision that prevented Lebanon from being completely isolated from the outside world, at a time when the country was in dire need of continued travel, evacuation and transportation.
This campaign also intersects with union movements within the corridors of the International Federation of Pilots’ Associations, in light of the existing discrepancies between the pilots’ union and the company’s management, which raises additional questions about the actual backgrounds of the current escalation and its goals.
The sources point out that what is surprising about the current campaign is that it ignores the developments that the Lebanese civil aviation sector has witnessed in recent years in terms of enhancing safety and control standards. Several files and violations were revealed by the State Security Service over the past years, and led to investigations and prosecutions against a number of those involved, and “Lebanon Debate” had a prominent role in exposing a number of them and putting them before public opinion and the competent authorities, which contributed to correcting the course of many sensitive files.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation also made great efforts to reorganize the sector and restore confidence in it, and work to rebuild the reputation and prestige of the Lebanese civil aviation industry at the local, regional and international levels, in light of the exceptional financial and security conditions that Lebanon has faced during the past years. The sources believe that these facts do not mean that there is no need for continuous development, but they contradict the picture that the letter is trying to paint, as if the Lebanese civil aviation sector completely lacks oversight or the will for reform.
The sources believe that what raises concern is not the content of the dispute itself, but rather the consequences that may result from it. Weakening international confidence in Beirut Airport may lead to repercussions that extend beyond the boundaries of the union dispute to affect air traffic, the national economy, and Lebanon’s foreign image.
The sources also link the current escalation to the movements led by Captain Rula Hoteit within the International Federation of Pilots Associations, where she holds the position of Executive Vice-President Africa & Middle East (AFI/MID), considering that the file has, in part, gone beyond the purely professional framework to interfere with union and representative calculations within international bodies concerned with aviation.
The sources go further by saying that Israel, despite the war, attacks and security threats to which Lebanon was exposed during the past months, was unable to close Beirut Airport or isolate it from the outside world. Today, the fear is that the current escalation will lead to achieving what the war failed to do, by striking international confidence in the airport and the only air facility that still connects Lebanon to the world.
The question remains: Was the goal of the letter to improve air safety standards within Middle East Airlines, or to transfer the union dispute to the international arena? In the first case, the Lebanese regulatory institutions are supposed to be the natural reference for treatment, but in the second case, the price will not be paid by the company and its employees alone, but rather by all of Lebanon.
