MIAMI – Following New Years celebrations, bullet holes were discovered in four brand new Airbus A321neo aircraft belonging to Middle East Airlines (ME) at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY) in Lebanon.
Maintenance crews were forced to repair the holes before the aircraft could again take flight, an especially unfortunate circumstance for aircraft that are only a few months old.
Fearing such an incident in advance, the director of the BEY Security Service requested that the Interior Ministry take actions curb the celebratory shootings.
صباح الخبر بالـ2021
واول تغريدة عن رعاع مطلقي الرصاص العشوائي.. اصابة ٤ طائرات تابعة للميدل ايست بالرصاص العشوائي مما اضطر الشركة الى سحبها من الخدمة لاصلاحها.. pic.twitter.com/htQ7bitOe7— Salman Andary (@salmanonline) January 1, 2021
Celebratory Shootings
The shootings, an unfortunate occurrence on Lebanese holidays, are believed to be celebratory. Damage reportedly was not limited to the aircraft, many in the general public are injured and even killed by such shootings each year.