Middle East Airlines – Airliban (MEA) is set to take delivery of an Embraer Legacy 500 jet later this year as it launches its business jet service.

This follows MEA placing an order for one Legacy 500 and an option for a second. The delivery of this aircraft is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2015. 

MEA, the national airline of Lebanon, is establishing a business jet company to offer charter flights, with the base of its operations at its corporate headquarters, at Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut. 

“We are elated that Middle East Airlines has selected the Legacy 500 for its new charter business fleet,” says Marco Túlio Pellegrini, President and CEO, Embraer Executive Jets. “The Legacy 500 will certainly delight passengers and pilots alike, and deliver the efficient performance and low-cost operation required for a successful charter business.”

“The Legacy 500 brings the comfort, technology and performance that will enable us to offer customers a premium travel experience,” said Mohamad A. El-Hout, Chairman-Director General of MEA. “The on-board features and amenities make this aircraft the ideal charter jet for our market and our customers. For example: the Legacy 500 allows our clients to fly direct from Beirut to London City Airport.”

From its home base in Beirut, MEA flies to 30 international destinations in Europe, the Middle East and West Africa. Since 2003 the airline has carried out an ambitious fleet renewal programme, and is currently operating 4 Airbus A330-200s, 2 Airbus A321s and 11 A320s.

The Legacy 500 is said to have the best-in-class six-foot flat-floor cabin, which is comparable to those of some aircraft in the super midsize category. Eight club seats may be berthed into four beds for complete rest in a cabin altitude of 6,000 feet. The in-flight entertainment system consists of a high definition video system, surround sound, multiple audio and video input options, a cabin management system, and three options for voice communications and connectivity.

The Legacy 500 is the first midsize business jet with digital flight controls, based on fly-by-wire technology, featuring side sticks. The state-of-the-art Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics suite on four 15-inch high resolution LCD displays allows graphical flight planning, and has options like paperless operations capability, auto brakes, and the E2VS (Embraer enhanced vision system), which includes a head up display (HUD) with the enhanced vision system (EVS).

The Legacy 500 is capable of flying at 45,000 feet and is powered by two Honeywell HTF7500E engines, the greenest in their class. Taking off from airfields as short as 4,084 ft, the Legacy 500 has a range of 3,125 nautical miles (5,788 km) with four passengers, including NBAA IFR (National Business Aviation Association Instrument Flight Rules) fuel reserves.

Embraer is one of the world’s leading executive jet manufacturers, having entered the business aviation market in 2000 with the Legacy jet, which led to the launch of Embraer Executive Jets in 2005. 

Its portfolio consists of the entry-level Phenom 100E and the Phenom 300 light jet, the Legacy 500 midsize and Legacy 450 mid-light, the super midsize Legacy 600 and large Legacy 650, and the ultra-large Lineage 1000E. Completing ten years in the market, Embraer Executive Jets’ global fleet exceeds 860 aircraft, which are in operation in more than 60 countries and are supported by the company’s global customer support and services network of 76 owned and authorised service centres, complemented by a 24/7 contact centre, at its headquarters, in Brazil.