The International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Middle East Office Regional Director, Mohamed Al-Farea and a group of specialists in aviation security, navigation, and air safety met with Libya’s Minister of Transport, Mohamed Al-Shahubi on Monday in Tripoli.
The meeting was attended by Mohamed Shalibak, the Director of the Civil Aviation Authority, Khaled Swesi, the Undersecretary for air transport affairs, and Mohamed Fasatawi, the acting Head of the Airports Authority.
The high-level ICAO delegation is currently in Libya for the first time, and according to the Transport Ministry, their visit is “intended to discuss ways in which the organisation can support the plans and initiatives of the Libyan Civil Aviation Authority in order to grow the industry and lift the EU air embargo on Libya.”
During the three-day trip, the group will “travel to Mitiga and Misrata airports to check the practices used, and gauge the degree to which they adhere to the norms and regulations authorised by ICAO.”
The Libyan Civil Aviation Authority’s Airport Safety Assessment and Standards Office, the Director of the Air Navigation Department, and the Director of the License and Exams Office were among the experts with whom the visiting group met.
Al-Tuhamy Omar Owhida, Assistant Head of the Libyan Civil Aviation Authority, gave the visiting delegation a presentation on the development programmes in safety, air navigation, and airport licencing. In addition to the digital transformation project and the requirements for lifting the air embargo.
The regional office stated its readiness to give the Libyan Civil Aviation Authority “all the support and help it needs to leave the air embargo as soon as possible, in exchange for the support and sponsorship of the Ministry of Transportation for the aviation industry.”
The visiting team “expressed its sincere gratitude for the goals and programmes intended to be realised by the Libyan Civil Aviation Authority,” according to the Transport Ministry’s report. It also acknowledged Al-Shahubi’s assistance and concern for the aviation industry.
The ICAO regional office stated that it was “ready to give full support and help to the Libyan Civil Aviation Authority to come out of the air embargo, as soon as it is feasible.”
The Libyan Civil Aviation Authority reported independently on the delegation’s visit to Mitiga airport, and stated that the ICAO delegation visit is “in preparation for the audit visit to be undertaken at the end of this year in order to abolish the ban imposed on Libyan airports and carrier businesses.”
