Libyan Prime Minister announces opening of Tripoli airport in mid-2024
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Libya's prime minister in the government of national unity, Abdulhamid al Dbaiba, has announced that great progress has been made in the project to rehabilitate Tripoli international airport, with plans to open it by the middle of next year.
Tripoli International Airport was closed in the wake of insecurity in 2014 following fighting between rival armed groups that led to the destruction of several aircraft on the ground and the deterioration of airport infrastructure.
In his speech delivered on Monday at the Ministry of Transport symposium on the preparation of the international audit programme on Libya in the field of civil aviation, in the presence of a number of ambassadors and diplomatic figures.
Mr. Al Dbaiba added: "Our institutions have embarked on an integrated project aimed at developing the civil aviation infrastructure and integrating the Libyan sector into the international airspace."
In a statement published by the government platform, "Hakomitna", he also highlighted the development of the VIP lounge at Maitigua international airport, in the eastern suburbs of Tripoli, and the creation of passenger lounges at other smaller airports.
The Libyan prime minister of the Government of National Unity said that talks were underway with Turkish and Qatari airlines to resume flights from Libya.
Mr. al Dbaiba recalled the agreement signed at the end of September between the Civil Aviation Authority and the Qatar General Civil Aviation Authority, which aims to establish a working framework between the two parties to develop and operate channels for joint cooperation.
He also highlighted the success of the government's efforts to restore some facilities that were destroyed during the war, and its institutions have begun to implement an integrated project aimed in particular at developing the aviation infrastructure.
It should be noted that many airlines have started to fly to Libya after flights were interrupted in 2014, particularly since the government of national unity took office in 2021.
The Libyan prime minister also called on the Prosecutor General, Councillor Al-Seddik al-Sour, to open an investigation into the events in Benghazi (east), which has been plagued by armed clashes and the interruption of communications for more than three days.
Mr. al Dbaiba said: "For the past three days, the city of Benghazi has witnessed exceptional events, with reports of armed clashes inside a civilian neighbourhood, in addition to the deliberate cutting off of communications networks, making it the second largest civilian neighbourhood in the Libyan city and capital of the eastern region completely isolated from the world".
He added: "Such incidents not only threaten the lives of citizens, but also affect the unity, sovereignty and social fabric of Libya. I therefore urge the security authorities in Benghazi to do their duty to protect the people of the city, and I call on the Prosecutor General to open a transparent investigation.
"The Libyan people have the right to know the truth and those who exposed them to danger must be held to account."
Benghazi, Libya's second largest city under the control of the Libyan National Army led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, witnessed clashes on Friday evening, following the return to the city of the former Defence Minister of the ex-National Accord government, Mahdi al-Barghathi.
The Libyan Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity also declared that "the internal challenges in Libya will not make us forget the struggle of our brothers in Palestine", underlining "the firm support for the Palestinian people in their inherent right to defend themselves and that justice is an essential pillar in the equation of peace and security".
He added that "the Palestinian people's confrontation with repeated attacks on their rights and the sanctity of the Islamic nation are rights imposed and stipulated by all divine and human laws".
The Libyan official stressed that "the position of the Libyan people will remain in solidarity at all times with the problems of the Arab and Islamic nations".
On Saturday morning, the Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, launched operation "Deluge Al-Aqsa" in response to Israeli military campaigns against Palestinian camps and repeated incursions into the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem in recent months.
-0- PANA BY/IS/SOC/BBA/RA 9Oct2023
