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The recently announced planned resumption of flights between Libya and Italy will still be conditional on Libya meeting ‘‘some preconditions’’, highly placed sources told Libya Herald.
It will be recalled that on 9 July Tripoli-based Libyan prime minister, Abd Alhamid Aldabaiba, tweeted on his personal account that ‘‘The Italian government informed us of its decision to lift its 10-year-old air ban on Libyan civil aviation, and flights will resume next September’’.
The source told Libya Herald that flights could resume much earlier than September if the Libyan side fulfils these preconditions earlier. The source would not, however, reveal these preconditions.
The tweet by Aldabaiba follows a meeting on 9 July in Tripoli between the president of Italy’s civil aviation authority (ENAC0), Pierluigi Di Palma, and the ambassador of Italy, Gianluca Alberini, with the Libyan Minister of State, Walid al Lafi, and the president of the Libyan Civil Aviation Authority, Mohamed Shlebik. Lafi heads the committee formed by Prime Minister Aldabaiba taked with lifting the air ban on Libya.
Reporting on the meeting, the Libyan government said flights will resume ‘‘after completing the technical and security requirements’’.
It revealed that ‘‘The two sides agreed to conclude an agreement and a memorandum of understanding, reopen the airspace between the two countries, and choose a Libyan and Italian air carriers to resume flights to and from Italy no later than next August, provided that the first direct commercial flights from Libya to Italy take off next September.
It also reported that Ambassador Alberini, ‘‘affirmed his country’s determination to continue cooperating with the Government of National Unity to facilitate the lifting of the embargo imposed on Libya over European airspace in general’’.
The Italian Embassy in Tripoli reported that the parties “discussed the upcoming restart of direct flights and the strengthening of collaboration. The close Italian-Libyan partnership on the civil aviation dossier is confirmed”.
This was further confirmed during the meeting in Tripoli between PM Aldabaiba and Italian Ambassador to Tripoli on Wednesday (12 July), where the Libyan government quoted Alberini as saying ‘‘Alberini explained to the Prime Minister the efforts of the Italian embassy to increase the number of proposed visas (to Libyans), and to complete the efforts of the two countries to open the airspace, which will start next September’’.
Analysis
Speculation about the preconditions to resume flights
There is much speculation as to what these preconditions are and whether they are realistic and achievable. The speculation is whether they are purely technical, security or political – or a bit of all.
One diplomat told this publication, off record, that some European nations are still uncomfortable about the Tripoli Libyan government ‘‘not being in full control of security at Mitiga airport’’. The implication is that the Tripoli government is not in control of its recognised militias – as evidenced by the recent militia clashes in Tripoli.
Italy takes the lead – breaks ranks with the rest of the EU?
Nevertheless, after continuous pressure from the Tripoli Libyan government and Libyans in general, Italy has pre-empted a unified lifting of the EU flight ban. Some speculate that the Italian lifting of the flight ban is more political than technical. Italy wants to cement its special relationship with Libya. The supply of gas and combatting illegal migration crossings are high on its list of interests.
Concerted efforts by the Libyan government to meet the conditions of lifting the flight ban
The Tripoli government has been working hard for years now to meet all the technical and security conditions set by the international community.
Over the last few years, and as reported widely by this publication, there has been extensive training courses of Libyan airport personnel by several countries, the purchase of new security equipment and various modernisations and updating of several Libyan airports. These have been mirrored by several inspection visits by civil aviation authorities and airliners from neighbouring and Mediterranean states.
Libyan airliners have set some kind of track record to Tunis, Istanbul, Malta, Athens etc
The fact that Libyan airliners have been flying regularly over the last few years to Tunis and Istanbul, amongst other destinations, has also allowed the international community to monitor their performance.
There have also been ‘‘charter flights’’ by Medavia and Skymed to Malta and Marathon Airlines to Athens. The flight ban has been slowly corroding, with loopholes for ‘‘chartered’’ flights exploited.
Domino effect?
Libya hopes that once flights resume successfully to Rome by September, a domino effect will happen, and other reluctant EU states will follow. It hopes EU states (and other non-EU states) will compete to gain favour with Libya. And once EU states resume flights to Libya, it will be difficult for non-EU states to justify continuing to impose a flight ban on Libya.
Transiting through Tunis and Istanbul is inconvenient and tiresome
For many Libyans, the lifting of the flight ban cannot come soon enough. Even diplomats have admitted (off record) to this news site that having to transit through Tunis and Istanbul for years is highly inconvenient and tiresome and draining. Direct flights to the heart of Europe will be welcomed by all, including foreign business visitors to Libya.
Sending a positive message about Libya
Equally as important is the positive message the resumption of flights to Libya sends. EU states had become reluctant to end the flight ban waiting for a perfect Libya to emerge. They had become hostages of their own rationale.
The EU rationale for the flight ban had become absurd
Libya and the EU should not allow their relationship to be held hostage by uncontrollable Libyan militias. Equally, the EU’s rationale had become absurd. Many of these militia leaders fly secretly and openly to the EU. After all, yesterday’s militia leader is today’s Interior Minister! The rationale of the EU flight ban policy was that the militia leader is greeted as a VIP in the capitals of the EU – while the average civilian Libyan suffers the flight ban.
Italy has been proactive
The argument this author has consistently put forward to international diplomats is that the EU should be proactive in pushing Libya forward towards that image of a perfect Libya – rather than wait for it to emerge. Italy has taken that leap of faith and decided to break the glass ceiling and resume flights.
It hopes to be rewarded by Libya politically and commercially. Libya hopes flights to the heart of the EU will also have positive political, social and economic returns. The move should be a win-win for all sides.
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