By Yassmine Alieh business news LB

Aigle
Azur, a French airline company, will start direct flights from Paris
Orly to Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport (BRHIA)on June 23.  Middle
East Airlines (MEA), which has a code-sharing agreement with Air
France, is the only carrier so far on the Paris-Beirut route.  A
high-ranking source at the Civil Aviation Authority said: “Our agreement
with the French side is to operate 21 weekly flights.” Air
France has a maximum of 14 flights per week. There is a chance that it
will increase weekly flights by three. Aigle Azure will cover the rest.  Aigle
Azur’s request is currently being studied by the Civil Aviation
Authority. According to its website, Aigle Azur is offering a round-trip
ticket at a starting price of $389.

Armenia Aircompany will
start operations between Yerevan and Beirut on April 3. Flights will
operate every Monday and for two Fridays in April. They will be
increased to 12 flights weekly during the summer season.  Garo
Margossian, Sales Manager at Armenia Aircompany, said: “Promotional
prices will begin at $380 including tourist visa, travel insurance, and
transport to airport.”  Prices will reach $480 in the summer. The aircraft are mostly 132-seater Boeing 737-700s.  Turkish
carrier AtlasGlobal will also begin charter flights to the capital
during the summer. The airline will operate seven flights a week
starting May. Egypt Air plans to increase its flights from 21 to 23 weekly in the summer.  On
March 25, Oman Air will terminate flights to BRHIA. The airline
previously operated seven weekly flights on the Beirut-Muscat route.