The Director of the Libyan Civil Aviation Authority, Mohamed Ashleibek anticipated the lifting of the European aviation ban on Libya in April 2024.
According to Ashleibek, international audits of civil aviation in Libya have yielded mostly positive results. He told Al-Wasat newspaper that Libya will be ready to welcome European flights in April, coinciding with the reopening of Tripoli International Airport.
The official mentioned the readiness of several Arab and foreign airlines to resume direct flights to Libyan airports. Negotiations are underway with Turkish and Qatari airlines to resume their routes.
In September 2023, flights between Libya and Italy resumed after a nearly ten-year hiatus, despite the European ban on Libyan airlines, as announced by authorities in Tripoli. Italy is the second European country, after Malta, to have a direct air route with Libya, despite Libyan airlines being blacklisted since 2014 from flying over European Union airspace.
Foreign airlines have gradually returned to Libya. Tunisair became the first airline to fly to Libya in May 2021, followed by EgyptAir and a few other carriers. Although most of the air operations are still managed by Libyans, five private airlines have started operations for various domestic and international routes.
On 11 December 2014, the European Commission banned Libyan airlines from passing over EU member states’ airspace, due to safety control concerns in a country experiencing periodic security tensions.
Seven Libyan airlines, including Afriqiyah Airways, Libyan Airlines, and Buraq Air, were added to the no-fly list.
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.
The conflict has led to a significant humanitarian crisis in Libya, with thousands of people killed, and many more displaced. Migrants and refugees using Libya as a transit point to Europe have also faced dire conditions.