Photos © R.Leeuw
Photos © R.Leeuw
| TMA was formed by Mounir Abou Haidar. The airline started scheduled cargo services in 1959. It ceased operaitons briefly in 1985, and again in 1996. There was a change of ownership in 1993. Trading as TMA Cargo from 2000, but operations were suspended in 2005. The ownership (and $60m debts) were sold for $1 from Banque Libano-Francaise to Flying Carpet's owner in Dec.2008. TMA maybe restarting with 2 freighter aircraft, Airbus A300-600F (as was announced in Nov.2009). |
When I started working at Amsterdam IAP Schiphol during the 1970s, TMA of Lebanon was a regular there.
Boeing 707-323C
OD-AGD (c/n 18939/437) shows the colours TMA was famous for. Taken in 1997.
OD-AGD was parked in grass and bushes at Beirut, as can be seen on a 2007 image on Airliners.net
During 1992 - 1999, Kuwait Airways Cargo hired the 707 fleet of TMA of Lebanon and
based them at Amsterdam's Schiphol IAP.
707-321C OD-AGP (c/n 19274/594) seen in a roaring take off at Schiphol during April of 2000.
TMA was plagued by politics back home, in Lebanon. It never was the flag carrier and civil war in
Lebanon caused it temporarily to cease operations. This unrest at home undermined clients' confidence.
This screendump from Aerotransport.org (ATDB Online) shows the type of aircraft flown during its existence
Leased from Islandsflug, A310-307(F) TF-ELS (c/n 552) seemed to open a new bright future for TMA in 2002.
But the lease ended and after having flown for Etihad in 2005 and 2006 moved on to Fedex (N817FD).
TMA requested during 2002 a license to operate passenger flights, using Airbus A320s,
on routes not operated by Middle East Airlines. But I don't think this worked out for them.
Boeing 707-327C OD-AGX (c/n 19104/498) seen in unattractive 'all-white-sans-titles' at SPL in April 2004
From JP Airline Fleets (2005):
TMA of Lebanon on Airliners.net
A tribute to Boeing 707s at Amsterdam IAP by Rob Hemelrijk can be seen on MichaelProphet.com
March 2010 saw news appear for a restart of TMA...
http://www.skyliner-aviation.de/viewphoto.main?LC=nav2&picid=6331
Photo by: Mazzoun (Date: 12.03.2010)
Airline: TMA Cargo
Type: Airbus A300 [N140MN]
Airport: USA, Lake Charles (CWF)
Comment: 'Lebanese TMA Cargo
is to restart operations shortly with this nicely painted A300 freighter.'
