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By Libya Herald staff.
Tripoli, 17 July 2014:
Although all the news about Tripoli is about aircraft being attacked and damaged, there is . . .[restrict]a brighter side. Amidst the fighting at and around the airport on Sunday evening, a handful of courageous Afriqiyah Airways employees headed to the airport to pull planes to safety.
Among the workers were maintenance line manager Najeeb Al-Jabu, engineer Ezzaddin Al-Hashmi and maintenance engineer Mohammed Shaqbadni, who was experienced in operating the machine necessary to pull the planes.
According to the maintenance engineer for Afriqiyah Airways, Rami Shenshen, the group found seven airplanes and were able to move three out of harm’s way.
The band eventually had to stop pulling the planes and leave the airport because the fighting became so intense, Shenshen said.
“We did this for the sake of our company, for Libya, and its people,” Shenshen remarked.
According to Shenshen, although the carrier has been damaged by what happened to its airplanes, the losses suffered are not as serious as the media has made them out to be.
“All of our airplanes are under warranty and are guaranteed service,” he said. “One is still in good condition, though the rest will need between $4-7 million in repairs in order to get them up and running again.”
The last time one of the company planes was hit by bullets, it cost $300,000 to repair it, he said.
Meanwhile Airbus officials have told the Libya Herald that from what they have been told the damage to Libya aircraft during the clashes is not as serious as initially supposed.
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