It is understood that Middle East Airlines (MEA) will operate 10 charter flights between Beirut and Tbilisi following the first service being operated.

According to Georgia Today, MEA has said that if the flights are successful, then there could be more regular flights to be operated.

It is understood that the first flight on July 19 show a load factor of 75% recorded, but the second flight recorded a 45% load factor.

Will The Beirut-Tbilisi Route Work?

Despite the huge disparity in load factor figures for the Beirut-Tbilisi flights, it, of course, poses the question of why they are choosing to operate these flights.

According to MEA, the airline noticed that many passengers are traveling from Lebanon to Georgia through indirect flights, which was the motivation for these direct flights.

Local media have said that MEA will make a decision after the 10 charter flights have taken place to see if either seasonal or year-round flights will be feasible.

It is ultimately the case of seeing what the other eight charter flights will provide in terms of results.

So far, it does look to be a bit of a mixed bag, and the reasoning behind this could be anywhere from pricing to flight times.

Indirect flights may provide better connectivity for now, but can MEA establish a significant footing on the Beirut-Tbilisi route?

All eyes will be on MEA to see how the rest of the charter flights perform and whether we could see another unique route be offered as a result.

Did you know AviationSource has two newsletters? One covers the general news and analysis of the industry as a whole, and the other to do with emergencies that take place throughout the year! To subscribe to our General News Newsletter, CLICK HERE! To subscribe to our Emergencies, Accidents & Incidents Newsletter, CLICK HERE!