Libyan PM takes first commercial flight from Italy after lifting of decade-long ban

Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, center, with President of the Libyan Presidential Council Mohamed Al-Menfi, left, and Libyan PM Abdul Hamid Al-Dbeibeh, Rome, Italy, Sunday, July 23, 2023. (AP Photo)

• State-owned ITA Airways operated charter flight from Italian town of Fiumicino to Tripoli
• The move is set to enable regular flights between the two countries as early as September

LONDON: Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh has flown on the first Italian commercial flight between his country and Italy in a decade, Nova reported.

The state-owned Italian flag carrier ITA Airways operated the charter flight, which left at 1:30 p.m. local time on Monday from the Italian town of Fiumicino. The flight landed at Tripoli about two hours later.

It follows a decision by Italy two weeks ago to end a 10-year-long ban on civil aviation from Libya using Italian airspace. The move is set to enable regular flights between the two countries as early as September.

Dbeibeh, who attended the International Conference on Development and Migration in Rome on Sunday, described the Italian decision as “a step that paves the way for opening airspace with other countries.” He added: “We will work to open an air line between Rome and Benghazi.”