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By Sami Zaptia.
London, 3 January 2020:
Tripoli’s Ministry of Transport has confirmed that Mitiga airport has reopened after it was hit by numerous missiles in the early hours of Friday morning. The attacks caused some damage to the runway and infrastructure, but not enough to shut down the airport.
The Ministry thanked staff at the airport for their efforts in clearing and repairing the runway in an effort for flights to resume today.
It will be recalled that Mitiga airport was closed for three months between September and December.
It was closed due to repeated airstrikes – attributed to the pro-Khalifa Hafter forces – and it continued to be the subject of strikes after it had been closed to civilian flights.
The pro Hafter forces have insisted that the forces defending Tripoli have been using the sprawling airport complex, which has always historically had a dual military-civilian use – as a base for military drone flights.
The Tripoli side have denied using the airport for military purposes during their battle with Hafter.
The airport reopened after UNSMIL formed a committee to ensure that the airport is used solely for civilian purposes.
Tripoli’s Mitiga airport resumes flights after a three month closure
UPDATE: Mitiga airport to reopen within two weeks – ‘‘without any military presence’’
