MEA was founded in 1945, with Pan Am holding a partial stake. The airline was among the last operator of Caravelles and Boeing 720s. It has now re-equipped with a largely Airbus fleet. The airline's fortunes have risen and fallen with that of its Lebanese homeland. Famously, much of the fleet was bombed and destroyed by Israel during an attack on Beiruit Airport in 1968. MEA has since returned to relative stability following the conflict with Israel in Summer, 2006.