Italian Airlines (ETA) and the Minister of Transport in Tripoli announced that the company had resumed its direct flights to the Libyan capital, on Sunday, becoming the first airline from a major country in Western Europe to take this step after a 10-year interruption due to the war in Libya.
Italian Airlines said that it will operate two direct flights weekly from Fiumicino Airport in Rome to Mitiga Airport in Tripoli.
The company’s general manager, Andrea Benassi, said in a statement: “We are proud to launch the first direct commercial flight between Tripoli and Fiumicino Airport in Rome today, to strengthen commercial and cultural relations between Libya and Italy in support of bilateral relations between the two countries.”
Resuming flights
Many international airlines have suspended their flights to and from Libya since the outbreak of war in 2014, which led to the emergence of two administrations in the east and west in the wake of the revolution that overthrew Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Some airlines resumed their flights to Libya after security was restored when the main fighting stopped with a ceasefire in 2020, but efforts to end the political crisis have failed, as factions sometimes enter into armed clashes and compete for control of economic resources.
According to Italian civil aviation officials, ETTA will soon operate direct commercial flights between Italian airports and the Libyan cities of Misrata and Benghazi.
The Italian Foreign Ministry said that the resumption of flights between the two countries after a decade of interruption “constitutes part of a continuous and persistent effort by Italian institutions and the business system, with the aim of strengthening relations with Libya, a strategic and distinguished partner of our country.”
Last October, the two countries signed a number of memorandums of understanding and agreements between Tripoli and Rome, during a visit by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Additional rights
While receiving the flight, the Libyan Minister of Transport, Mohamed Al-Shahoubi, expressed his readiness to grant the Italian company additional transport rights to connect Libyan airports with other destinations in the European Union countries (27 countries).
The European Union still bans Libyan civil aviation flights from entering its airspace.
The Minister of Transportation in the National Unity Government, Mohamed Al-Shahoubi, said that the resumption of Italian Airlines flights between Tripoli and Rome confirms “the security and safety of our airspace and the eligibility of Libyan airports.”
Al-Shahoubi said, at a ceremony marking the arrival of the Italian Airlines flight to Mitiga Airport, that Tripoli is ready “to grant ETA additional transport rights to connect Libyan airports to other destinations in European Union countries.”
Strategic bridge
Al-Shahoubi added that Libya is looking forward to the return of Royal Air Maroc, Qatar Airways and Saudi Airlines in the first half of 2025.
He explained that airlines from Tunisia, Egypt, Malta, Turkey and Jordan have already resumed their direct flights with Libya.
Chief Aviation Officer at Rome Airports, Ivan Passato, said that the Libya route constitutes a strategic bridge between the two countries.
The minister added that the flights will strengthen “the position of our center to support the interconnectedness of Africa, a continent that in 2024 reached a record level exceeding the threshold of two million passengers to and from Rome, an increase of 38% compared to the previous year.”
