ITA confirms direct flights between Rome and Tripoli starting on 12 January 2025

Italian carrier ITA Airways confirmed today that its direct scheduled flights between Rome and Tripoli will commence on 12 January 2025. The news was reported by Emiliana Limosani, ITA’s CEO Flight and Chief Commercial Officer.

The Rome Fiumicino – Tripoli Mitiga flight will operate twice a week – every Thursday and Sunday, according to the following schedule:

• Departure from Rome Fiumicino at 9:15 a.m. (local time), arriving in Tripoli Mitiga at 12:10
p.m. (local time)
• Departure from Tripoli Mitiga at 1:05 p.m. (local time), arriving in Rome Fiumicino at 2:10 p.m (local time).

ITA says that tickets for the Rome Fiumicino – Tripoli route are now available through its official sales channels, including the website www.ita-airways.com, the airline’s Customer centre, travel agencies and airport ticket offices.

ITA’s two 2023 flights
It will be recalled that an ITA test flight had landed in Tripoli’s Mitiga’s airport in July 2023 with the Tripoli based Libyan prime minister, Abdel Hamid Aldabaiba, aboard – returning from a meeting in Rome. Another ITA flight landed in Tripoli on 1 October. However, for various factors the flight did not continue to run on a regular schedule.

ITA Airways to resume flights to Tripoli on 3 September

Aldabaiba visits Rome today: Debts to Italy and Libyan bureaucracy are holding back increased trade

The EU flight ban on Libyan carriers
It will also be recalled that there is still an EU-wide flight ban on Libyan registered carriers. All flights that have operated have been ‘‘chartered’’ flights operated by EU-registered carriers.

Chartered v scheduled flights
The planned ITA flights will be ‘‘scheduled’’ flight which will appear on ITA’s published schedule for the whole winter season. This means customers can book for months ahead.

Charter flights, for example those currently operated by Medsky or those operated previously by Medavia between Tripoli and Malta, were chartered on a week-by-week basis – subject to obtaining permission to operate the flights.

Other non-EU flights
Other scheduled non-EU flights to and from Libya have been operating, including to Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt, and Jordan.

On the day of first direct Tripoli to Rome flight, MoU signed between Libyan Civil Aviation and its Italian counterpart (libyaherald.com)

Direct flights from Tripoli to Rome to resume on Saturday (libyaherald.com)

Italian Airlines ITA test flight arrives from Rome at Tripoli’s Mitiga airport with PM Aldabaiba onboard (libyaherald.com)

First flight between Rome and Tripoli to start tomorrow – ending a ten-year hiatus (libyaherald.com)

Libya must fulfil certain preconditions before flights to Italy resume by September – but flights could resume earlier (libyaherald.com)

Qatar Civil Aviation to conduct Libyan airports inspection in October, signs MoU with Libyan counterpart (libyaherald.com)

Civil Aviation Authority concludes meetings with Turkish Civil Aviation team inspecting airports for possible return of Turkish airliners (libyaherald.com)

Technical Turkish delegation reaffirms desire for return of Turkish airlines to Libya (libyaherald.com)

urkey considering resumption of Turkish airliners’ flights to Libya, to develop strategic relations with Libya (libyaherald.com)

Libya must fulfil certain preconditions before flights to Italy resume by September – but flights could resume earlier (libyaherald.com)

State recognised militia and Libyan Army clash in central Tripoli (libyaherald.com)