Emirates, one of the world’s fastest growing airlines, has resumed passenger flights to Tripoli, the capital and largest city of Libya.

With the departure of the first flight from Dubai International airport this week, Emirates has re-established a key route offering Libyan travelers access to its global network that spans six continents.

“We are now connecting Tripoli not only to Dubai, but also to our worldwide network of more than 130 destinations. Solid early bookings have demonstrated the demand, opening up new markets for passengers to and from Libya,” said Adil Al-Ghaith, Emirates’ VP commercial operations northern and eastern Africa.

“Libya is showing healthy economic growth and the re-launch of our flights to Tripoli will help to support business, international trade and from Tripoli to the rest of world.”

Emirates now serves Tripoli from Dubai three times a week with a quick stop in Malta, utilizing a Boeing 777-200ER, which provides First Class, Business Class and Economy Class travel.

Tripoli is one of the main hubs of Libya’s economy and home to many of the country’s largest local and international companies. In June 2012, Emirates re-opened its Tripoli town office enabling customers to book travel on Emirates’ services outside of Libya.

Supporting trade between Tripoli and the rest of the world, Emirates SkyCargo introduced a freighter service to the city in May 2012, helping import a variety of goods such as electronics from the Far East to drilling equipment from the US.

The resumption of passenger flights also enables Emirates SkyCargo to better serve Libyan cargo customers by offering a total weekly capacity of over 100 tons and more frequent connections with their supplier markets.