Italy explains reasons for lifting ban on Libyan aircraft from its airspace
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Ambassador of the Republic of Italy to Libya, Gianluca Alberini, informed the committee set up by the prime minister to lift the air embargo on airports of the Italian government's decision to lift the ban on Libyan civil aviation to Italy, having met the technical and safety requirements.
The announcement came during a meeting held on Sunday in Tripoli between the committee, chaired by the Minister of State for Communication and Political Affairs in the Government of National Unity, Walid Al-Lafi, and Mr. Alberini to discuss ways of lifting the air embargo on Libyan airlines and resuming flights between the two countries, according to a statement issued by the government platform "Hakomitna".
According to the same source, the two parties discussed the latest developments achieved by the joint Libyan-Italian technical teams and the results of the field visit in May, concerning the verification of security procedures at Libyan airports and the timetable for opening up airspace and resuming flights between the two countries.
They agreed to conclude an agreement and a memorandum of understanding to reopen the airspace between the two countries and to select one Libyan and one Italian air carrier to resume flights to and from Italy by next August at the latest, provided that the first direct commercial flight from Libya to Italy takes off in September.
Al-Lafi said that Prime Minister Abdelhamid Al-Dbaiba attached great importance to this issue, as it would have a positive impact on facilitating travel for Libyan citizens and supporting economic relations between Libya and Italy.
The Italian ambassador to Libya, Gianluca Alberini, affirmed his country's determination to continue cooperating with the government of national unity to facilitate the lifting of the embargo imposed on Libya over European airspace in general.
The meeting was attended on the Libyan technical side by the Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority, Mohamed Chlaybek, and his accompanying technical team, and on the Italian side by the Director of the Italian Aviation Office and his technical team.
Earlier, the prime minister of the government of national unity, al-Dbaiba, announced that the Italian government had informed him of its decision to lift the air ban imposed on Libyan civil aviation 10 years ago, so that flights will resume in September.
-0- PANA BY/IS/BBA/RA 9July2023
