On Wednesday, Buraq Air announced the resumption of flights between the Libyan cities of Tripoli and Benghazi. This is scheduled to begin on Sunday 25th October, with two flights per day.
On Friday, an Afriqiyah Airways plane arrived at Benghazi’s Benina International Airport departing from Tripoli’s Mitiga International Airport. This was the first scheduled flight from Tripoli to Benghazi in almost two years. The flight was seen by many as a dove carrying messages of peace, highlighting the opportunity to turn the page on a 13-month civil war that has left thousands dead and wounded.
The flight carried a delegation from the Libyan Civil Aviation Authority, the Libyan Airports Authority, and Afriqiyah airlines, Benina airport said. The parties headed to Tripoli to discuss the operation of internal and external flights, and maintenance procedures. They also discussed the precautionary measures to be taken by the airports in the face of the covid-19 pandemic. Libyan political figures expressed their joy and described the step as the “beginning to reunite the war-torn social fabric.”
The head of the Libyan Media Foundation stressed that, “Wars are not an option, division is not a destiny, and compassion, mercy, communication, cohesion, friendship, and love are Libyan people’s destiny and choice.”
The domestic air traffic between eastern and western Libya was halted in light of the military operations launched by the Libyan National Army (LNA), on 4 April 2019.