Italian and Libyan carriers have conducted services between their countries’ respective capitals, to mark a reinstatement of air links absent for a decade. ITA Airways operated the Rome Fiumicino-Tripoli route with an Airbus A320 on 24 July, while Libya’s MedSky Airways carried out a reciprocal service on the same day, also with an A320. Libyan authorities had voluntarily suspended flights by several operators to Europe in 2012, but a deterioration in the geopolitical situation in Libya resulted in the subsequent formal blacklisting. ITA states that it supports the Italian efforts to re-open air connections to Libya, and adds that it is considering operations to Libya from next winter. Italian organisations including the air navigation service ENAV have been participating in the modernisation of airport and air traffic infrastructure at Tripoli’s main airport as well as the capital’s Mitiga airport.
