Middle East Airlines plane hit by stray bullet while landing in Beirut
A Middle East Airlines (MEA) Airbus A320, flying from Jordan to Lebanon, was hit by a stray bullet while landing in Beirut on Thursday, with no injuries reported, MEA Chairman Mohamad El-Hout said.
El-Hout told Reuters that seven to eight stationary planes are hit by stray bullets shot from areas neighbouring Beirut airport each year, but incident was the first time this had occurred while a plane was moving.
→ Precision Air plane crashes on Lake Victoria, Tanzania.
Celebratory gunfire is a common occurrence in Lebanon, where gun ownership is widespread and weapons are fired to mark speeches by politicians and the release of official exam results, among other events.
“These practices of shooting in the air in Lebanon must be stopped … it is a source of danger to air traffic and the airport,” El-Hout said.
Lebanese lawmaker Paula Yacoubian was on the flight and shared images on her Twitter page appearing to show a hole in the fuselage of the plane.
Yacoubian said she was sitting in seat 2F when the incident occurred “right above my head”.
Related Topics
JetBlue Cuts Flights and Delays Aircraft Deliveries Amid “Unlikely” of Reaching Breakeven by 2025
Arajet Inaugurates New Route Between Santo Domingo and Newark
JetBlue Lands in Honduras: Launches New Daily Flight Between New York and San Pedro Sula
Google Sues LATAM Airlines in U.S. Over YouTube Video Dispute
Plataforma Informativa de Aviación Comercial con 13 años de trayectoria.