The Libyan Civil Aviation Authority, affiliated to the Government of National Accord (GNA), has announced the closure of all Libyan airports and the suspension of all international flights from starting today.
The Chairman of the Aviation Authority, Nasreddine Shaib Al-Ain, notified airline and airport directors that international flights would be halted for three weeks starting Monday.
In a written statement directed to airline and airport directors, Al-Ain explained that such a step follows the framework of an emergency plan announced by the GNA’s Presidential Council in preparation for confronting the potential threat of coronavirus.
He added that the plan included the closure of all air and land ports.
According to the statement, the suspension does not apply to ambulance flights, air cargo, diplomatic missions, domestic flights and flights returning from abroad that departed on March 15.
Despite the fact that Libya has not yet confirmed any cases of COVID-19 (commonly known as Coronavirus), the government has taken strict measures to prevent an outbreak of the virus inside the country.
Schools in and around Benghazi will stay closed for two weeks.