The second edition of Airplane Mode, held on 31 May 2025, marked another ambitious step by IVAO Lebanon in proposing innovative event formats on a regional and HQ scale. Built on a dual-leg system with both beginner-friendly and advanced options, and covering Mediterranean, African, and Middle Eastern skies, the event succeeded in gathering meaningful traffic and engagement despite limited registration turnout.

Out of 216 available slots, 39 were officially booked, a number that doesn’t reflect the full impact the event had on the network during its 6-hour duration. A look at the traffic data reveals solid performance at nearly all involved airports:

OLBA (Beirut): 30 movements
DAAG (Algiers): 51 movements
DTTA (Tunis): 39 movements
LTFM (Istanbul): 70 movements
LGAV (Athens): 39 movements
LJLJ (Ljubljana): 19 movements

🛫 Total cumulative movements across the 6 key airports exceeded 248 (inbounds + outbounds), highlighting clear participation beyond pre-booked slots.

A special mention goes to Algeria, Tunisia, and Turkey, whose ATC teams ensured prolonged coverage and greatly contributed to the flow of traffic. While a few divisions had to decline or were unable to ensure presence, pilot feedback gathered after the event was overall positive, praising both the concept and execution.

IVAO Lebanon remains committed to hosting bold, well-structured events — even when numbers don’t reflect the behind-the-scenes planning. With the division being young and small, every such initiative lays groundwork for more inclusive, adventurous, and collaborative experiences in the future.