Taher Al-Bousefi, the General Manager of Sebha International Airport announced that the airport has received approval to resume international flights, beginning with Egypt’s Cairo Airport.
He told local media that the approval came after an Egyptian team visited the airport, to conduct an audit, providing feedback on some deficiencies, which have since been addressed.
Al-Bousefi anticipates that the first flight will take off in mid-November, operated by EgyptAir, with at least one or two flights weekly.
He explained that international flights from the airport were halted in 2012, with the exception of voluntary return flights for migrants, and Hajj flights during 2022 and 2023.
Al-Bousefi highlighted logistical and technical challenges at the airport, urging the relevant authorities to address these issues.
An Egyptian Civil Aviation delegation previously inspected Misrata International Airport on 19 June, ensuring that operational procedures aligned with the guidelines prescribed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
EgyptAir, the state-owned flag carrier of Egypt, has announced plans to inaugurate new flights from Cairo to Misrata.
In a statement, the company said that this will increase EgyptAir’s Libyan destinations to three, including Mitiga Airport in Tripoli, and Benina Airport in Benghazi.
Egypt’s Civil Aviation Minister, Mohamed Abbas said in press statements that EgyptAir is poised to add several new flight routes to its existing network.
In a separate context, the Italian Ambassador to Libya, Gianluca Alberini announced that Italian Airlines are scheduled to commence flights to Tripoli by the end of November.
The Ambassador’s remarks came during his meeting with the Prime Minister of Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba.
The meeting was attended by Adel Juma, Minister of State for the Prime Minister and Cabinet Affairs, Taher Al-Baour, Director of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation at the Cabinet Office, and the GNU Spokesman, Mohamed Hamouda.
During the meeting, they explored “economic cooperation between the two countries and continued efforts to open new air routes between Libya and Italy”, especially following the resumption of direct flights between the two nations in September.