Libya resumes commercial flights to Italy after 10-year hiatus

By Muataz Wannes

TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) – Libya on Saturday resumed commercial flights to Italy, for the first time in a decade.

A flight operated by the Libyan carrier Medsky Airways departed Mitiga International Airport in Tripoli for the Italian capital, Rome, the Tripoli-based Libyan government said in a statement.

According to the Libyan Embassy in Italy, two Libyan flights will be operated to Rome weekly on Saturdays and Wednesdays.

The European Commission banned flights from Libya in 2014 amid chaos and conflict in the country.

Italy lifted its air embargo on the North African country last July following talks held by Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh with Italian officials in Rome.

In July, Italian ITA flew a flight from Rome to the Libyan capital.

Oil-rich Libya has remained in turmoil since 2011, when longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi was ousted and killed after four decades in power.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi