ITA Airways has operated the first flight from Italy to Libya in almost a decade as an initial step to restoring nonstop commercial routes between the two countries.
The Airbus A320 service between Rome Fiumicino and Tripoli’s Mitiga International Airport came fewer than three weeks after Italy lifted a ban on Libyan civil aviation using Italian airspace. The decision was announced by Abdul Hamid al-Dbeibah, one of Libya’s rival prime ministers, on July 9 following talks with Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni.
The ban has been in place since December 2014, when the European Union (EU) added all airlines from Libya to the EU Air Safety List, blocking them from operating in European airspace. The commission determined that Libyan authorities could not guarantee the safety of their aircraft amid the serious political and social unrest in the North African country.
ITA Airways flight AZ894 on July 24 hosted a Libyan delegation led by Dbeibah, as well as a delegation from the Italian air transport industry led by Pierluigi Di Palma, the president of the Italian Civil Aviation Authority, ENAC.
A statement from ENAC says that ITA was considering launching regular operations between the two countries starting from the forthcoming northern winter season, while Libyan startup Medsky Airways hopes to begin flying to Italy “from next autumn.” Dbeibah adds that his Tripoli-based government would work to open direct flights between Rome and the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi.
However, although Italy has lifted the near-nine-year ban, all air carriers “certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of Libya” remain on the most recent EU Air Safety List, published on June 7. This continues to prohibit Libyan airlines from operating to, in and from the EU, including overflights.
Libya has faced a period of turmoil following a NATO-backed uprising that led to the overthrow and death of long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The aftermath resulted in the emergence of rival administrations in the eastern and western regions of the country.
Libya’s main international gateway, Tripoli International Airport, was badly damaged during the 2014 civil war, with Mitiga International Airport taking over as the country’s main hub since then. However, international flights remain limited to destinations in Egypt, Malta, Niger, Tunisia and Turkey.
Prior to the 2014 EU flight ban, data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser shows that ITA predecessor Alitalia and Libyan carrier Afriqiyah Airways each served Rome Fiumicino-Tripoli nonstop. Other European connections included Libyan Airlines’ flights to London Heathrow, Madrid and Manchester, England.
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