By Jamie Prentis.
Tunis, 13 February 2016:
Tamenhint, the south of Libya’s only operational airport, remains effectively closed for business, despite the Presidency Council (PC) efforts to restart flights from there.
Airlines have refused to operate out of Tamenhint, 35 kilometres north-east of Sebha, since the LNA’s 12th Brigade led by Mohamed Ben Nayel’s came as close as 17 kilometres to the airbase. It is held Misrata’s Third Force.
It is understood that staff at the civil airport are refusing to work, despite a LD 5 million offer from the PC to get flights up and running again.
In further efforts to reactivate it, a delegation of officials from the transport ministry of transport and the Civil Aviation Authority, accompanied by representatives from Afriqiyah Airways and Libyan Airlines, visited the airbase on Saturday to discuss the security situation in the area with airport officials, the local authorities and military commanders at the airport.
Reports that Ghadames airport has now reopened also appear premature.
The Civil Aviation Authority is meanwhile working on a report about reactivating the airport at Sirte.
