Two Middle Eastern Airlines (MEA) A321neo aircraft were damaged by stray bullets during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Beirut, Lebanon.
The aircraft, registered as T7-ME2 and T7-ME6, were damaged by bullets at midnight, according to local media reports. The pair was towed to a hangar to be repaired. Pictures on social media showed holes in the fuselages of both jets. No injuries were reported as a direct result of the stray bullets fired during the celebrations of the new year in the vicinity of the airport.
Seemingly, the damage was not substantial, as both aircraft have already operated multiple flights on January 2, 2023. T7-ME2 has already flown between Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY) and Geneva International Airport (GVA), Switzerland, before coming back to BEY. Meanwhile, T7-ME6 flew to Paris Charles De Gaulle International Airport (CDG), France, and is scheduled to depart towards the Lebanese capital at 1:51 PM local time (GMT +1).
In November 2022, a bullet penetrated the fuselage of a Middle East Airlines Airbus A320 aircraft, registered as OD-MRM, as it was landing at BEY.
And in what seems like an exact copy of the incident on NYE 2022, four MEA aircraft were damaged by stray bullets on January 1, 2021, including three A321neos, and a single Airbus A330 that were parked at the Lebanese capital’s main airport.