On Saturday, Libyan Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba announced that the Italian government has decided to lift the decade-long air traffic restriction, placed on Libyan civil aviation.
In a statement, Dbaiba confirmed that commercial flights are slated to recommence in September, signalling a significant development for Libyan travel.
He applauded the transportation sector, the committee assigned to resolve the issue, and all those involved in bringing about this progressive move which, according to him, will notably ease travel for Libyan citizens.
Reposting an earlier tweet following his return from a diplomatic trip to Rome in June, Dbaiba reaffirmed his commitment to working with Italian authorities to expedite the process of lifting the ban. He also emphasised the need to simplify the visa process for Libyan citizens.
Diplomatic ties between Tripoli and Rome have seen significant improvement this year. The strengthening of relationships was initiated by a visit from an Italian government delegation, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The visit resulted in the signing of several agreements, primarily focusing on the exploration and development of gas and oil resources.
There are currently few airlines operating flights in and out of Libya, a country that has suffered more than a decade of chaos and conflict since Muammar Gaddafi’s downfall in 2011.
In June, Dbaiba’s own diplomatic visit to Rome resulted in five additional agreements in areas such as oil, gas, and investment, following discussions with Meloni.
Civil aviation in Libya had been halted in Europe and several other countries due to safety concerns for passengers, as per reports from the Civil Aviation Authority.
As of now, Libyan flights are only operational to Tunisia, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. Aside from three private airlines, no international competition is currently present in the Libyan market.
Due to the European air traffic restrictions, the Libyan economy and domestic airlines have faced significant losses. An estimated 85% of their revenue from foreign stations has been affected. This directive has forced Libyan travellers to navigate through five different capitals, and bear the burden of paying in hard currency to reach a European destination.