The European Union in 2014 halted flights operated by Libyan airlines and banned them from entering member states' airspace, as the war-torn North African country was mired in intense fighting. Restarting flights is "part of intensive government efforts to lift the European ban on Libyan civil aviation", said Libya's UN-recognised government on Facebook. Medsky Airways was launched in 2022, the year after EU member Malta announced it would allow flights to and from Libya. It was unclear how the airline was able to circumvent the EU ban, which remains in place. Italy, Libya's former colonial power, and the Mediterranean island nation of Malta are now the only European countries to have resumed flights with Libya.

Source: Libya Today September 30, 2023 14:41 UTC