The Prime Minister o of the Libyan Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdelhamid Dbaiba, said the first flight between Tripoli and Rome will take off on Monday. This marks the resumption of flights between the two countries after a ten-year hiatus.
Dbaiba described the resumption of flights between the two countries as a step towards opening up the airspace with other countries, according to a statement released by the government’s media office.
“We will work to open an air route between Rome and Benghazi,” Dbaiba said on Sunday.
Dbaiba’s statement comes ahead of the Migration and Development Conference in the Italian capital, Rome, which is taking place, on Sunday.
The resumption of flights between Libya and Italy is a positive step towards restoring normal relations between the two countries. It is hoped that the resumption of flights will lead to an increase in tourism and trade between the two countries.
Libya has been in a state of turmoil for the past decade, following the long-time leader Moammar Gaddafi. The country has been divided between rival governments and militias, leading to a civil war that has killed thousands and displaced millions.
Earlier this month, Dbaiba announced that the Italian government has decided to lift the decade-long air traffic restriction, placed on Libyan civil aviation.
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 Moammar Gaddafi’s downfall in 2011.