On Saturday, Tripoli’s Mitiga International Airport received EgyptAir’s first cargo flight, after a hiatus of more than eight years.
The Libyan Ground Services Company confirmed that all ground and handling services were provided to the aircraft, in addition to the process of storing and delivering goods to their owners.
The company indicated that “it is expected to continue operating its flights regularly, at a rate of five per week.”
Last year, the EgyptِAir Maintenance and Engineering Company said that it had finished preparing a plane belonging to Libyan Airlines. The Airbus A320, with registration letters 5A-LAK had been stored at the Benghazi airport for a significant time period.
The front lower carriage of the plane was altered, and the entire plane was painted with the Libyan Airlines logo.
Engineer Yahya Zakaria, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of EgyptAir Maintenance and Engineering, said that relations with Libyan companies “are among the company’s priorities. This is part of the implementation of Egypt’s vision towards supporting Libya in various fields. This further falls within the framework of the good historical relations that unite the two companies.”
“There has been technical cooperation for many years with Libyan Airlines, and many other Libyan airlines,” he added.
The Libyan side welcomed the cooperation with EgyptAir, especially the company’s “efficiency and the quality of services provided. “
Libya has been in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The county has for years been split between rival administrations, each backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.
The current stalemate grew out of the failure to hold elections in December 2021, and the refusal of Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba, who is leading the transitional government, to step down. In response, the country’s eastern-based Parliament appointed a rival Prime Minister, Fathi Bashagha, who has for months sought to install his government in Tripoli.