By Libya Herald reporter.
Tunis, 7 February 2016:
Libya’s suspended International Air Transport Association (IATA) clearing house membership is to be renewed shortly . . .[restrict]according to sources at Libyan Airlines.
The source denied social media rumours that Libyan Airlines flights might be suspended soon due to its failure to pay its IATA membership.
The source points out that all Libyan carriers are precluded from flying to EU destination for failing to allow scheduled IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) inspections back in June 2014 due to the fighting in the country.
Indeed, a look at the IATA website for members listed will show that only Afriquiyah Airlines is listed as a registered member under Libya.
This is different to being part of IATA’s clearing house for payments which Libyan Airlines is still a member. Sources at Libyan Airlines said that the airliner has transferred its payment for this service only last week.
It was pointed out that many airliners have operated safely for years without having membership of IATA. Again, the IATA website itself admits that only about 83 percent of world traffic is represented by IATA members.
Only carriers that submit to regular IATA Operational Safety Audit IOSA regulations are members of IATA.
It will be recalled that all Libyan registered airliners are precluded from flying to the EU and no international carriers fly into Libya. Libyan carriers have been flying, on and off, to Tunisia, Istanbul, Amman Jordan, Alexandria, Algiers, and Khartoum.
The partly Libyan owned but Malta based Medavia has been flying ”evacuation” flights between Malta and Tripoli [/restrict]
