Lebanon’s flag carrier MEA will only accept dollar payments as country’s financial crisis worsens – The National

Lebanon’s flag carrier MEA will only accept dollar payments as country’s financial crisis worsens – The National

Lebanon's flag carrier MEA will only accept dollar payments as country's financial crisis worsens. Card payments and bank cheques need to be made in foreign currency, Lebanon's news agency says. Lebanon's Middle East Airlines (MEA) will only accept payment in dollars starting from Monday as the country faces the worst economic crisis since its 1975-1990 Civil War.. The flag carrier, which is owned by Lebanon's central bank, will accept card payments and bank cheques as long as the transactions are made in a foreign currency, Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) reported on Sunday.. "The Middle East Airlines and other airline companies operating in Lebanon announced Sunday that, starting tomorrow (Monday), they will accept payments in dollars," NNA said on its website.. "The company also announced all card payments will be accepted in addition to bank cheques, provided that the operation is in foreign currency.". An IMF deal could involve a restructuring that would see 70 per cent of the government's debt written off and the value of Lebanon's currency could plunge by half against the dollar, according to a research note by Capital Economics.. Government spending would need to be tightened by three to four per cent in order to