On Sunday, 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.
This statement marks a significant step towards resuming, and enhancing bilateral aviation and economic cooperation.
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.
Libya’s Civil Aviation Authority signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Italian Civil Aviation Authority. This MoU aims to foster cooperation in civil aviation and air transport, as well as encourage airlines from both countries to operate charter and scheduled flights.
Both parties agreed to sign a new air transport agreement at a subsequent time, as reported by the Ministry of Transport.
The first flight from Tripoli’s Mitiga International Airport to Rome took place on 30 September, managed by the private airline Mediterranean Sky Airlines (MedSky), marking the end of an approximately ten-year hiatus in air travel.
Italy, and the Mediterranean island nation of Malta are now the only European countries to have resumed flights with Libya.
For much of the past decade, Libyans had to transit through Tunis, Istanbul, or Cairo to reach Europe by air.
The country plunged into years of chaos after a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed strongman Muammer Gaddafi in 2011.The country remains divided between two rival administrations, one in Tripoli and the other in Libya’s east, backed by military commander Khalifa Haftar.