After a 7-year halt, Air Malta operated its first flight to Libya since the closure of Tripoli International Airport (TIP) seven years ago during the 2014 Libyan war.
On July 1, 2021, Air Malta flight KM7692 landed at Mitiga Airport carrying a Maltese delegation set for discussions with Libyan authorities for the resumption of regular flights between Malta and Libya. The delegation included Malta’s Minister of Finance and Employment Clyde Caruana and Air Malta Executive Chairman David Curmi as reported by Malta Today. Air Malta had last set foot on Libyan soil in July 2014. Tripoli International Airport, a former hub for Libyan-based carriers, is located near Libya’s capital and was built to serve Tripoli arrivals and departures. From March 2011 to October 2011, all operations at TIP were temporarily ceased after a United Nations Security Council directive declared a no-fly zone over war-torn Libya. The airport reopened on October 11, 2011, however, three years later it was permanently closed after suffering damage to its infrastructure from militia warfare in the second Libyan civil war in 2014.
According to reports, over 90% of the airport’s infrastructure was damaged and approximately 20 aircraft were destroyed as a result of the conflict.
Today, the resumption of regularly scheduled flights between Malta and Libya draws closer, with support from both Libyan and Maltese authorities. Air Malta Executive Chairman David Curmi has stressed the importance of this service for the two nations and for the airline.
“Libya was always a very important market for the Airline, and we are happy to have had the opportunity to discuss commercial operations to the country with our Libyan counterparts,” said Curmi.
“Seeing the Air Malta plane on Libyan soil in years is certainly a positive sign,” added Minister Caruana as he detailed future cooperation of the parties to reestablishing operations.
On April 30, 2021, Air Malta released its summer flight schedule in which the airline plans to operate its all-Airbus fleet to 19 European cities. This includes flights to Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Catania, Frankfurt, Geneva, Lisbon, London Heathrow, Munich, Milan Linate, Palermo, Paris Charles De Gaulle, Prague, Rome, Vienna, and Zurich.
