Alexandria’s Borg El-Arab Airport receives 1st Libyan Airlines flight after 1-year hiatus

CAIRO – 19 February 2021: Alexandria’s Borg El-Arab International Airport received on Thursday the first flight operated by Libyan Airlines after more than one year of hiatus due to a procedural issue.

The plane, coming from Benghazi’s Benina airport, breaks a hiatus that started in November for flights operated by Libyan Airlines to Egypt. Egypt, however, has received Libyan flights from Libya’s Afriqiah Airways.

Ashraf Noweir, head of Egypt’s Civil Aviation Authority, said Libyan Airlines’ flights will also be operated from Mitiga airports in Tripoli to Borg El-Arab airport next week.

The Libyan Airlines had suspended its flights to Egypt as one of its planes while heading to Egypt was obliged to land in Benina airport a few moments after it took off from Misrata.

According to a source, the plane was ordered to land by the Libyan General Board for Transportation.

The resumption comes on the same day as Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi received new Libyan Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Dbeibeh in Cairo.

The new Libyan Prime Minister expressed his honor to meet President Sisi, praising Egypt’s sincere and effective efforts to resolve the Libyan crisis during the past period and resulted in the convergence of views between conflicting Libyan parties and an end to the state of division.

He also appreciated Egypt's support for Libyan institutions in combating terrorism and extremist groups.

Dbeibeh voiced the Libyan government and people’s aspiration to establish a comprehensive partnership with Egypt to reproduce a successful development experience, especially with regard to restoring security and stability and launching the development and reform process.