AFRAA: Afriqiyah Plans Its International Relaunch

Libyan carrier Afriqiyah Airways is hoping to relaunch scheduled international operations from December 1, bringing a bright end to what has been a very difficult year for the airline. After working to complete a long-planned merger with fellow state-controlled carrier Libyan Airlines, its plans were thrown into disarray following the uprising in the country, the grounding of the carrier and the resultant military action.

After the ousting and recent capture and death of former leader Muammar Gaddafi, Libya is now working to rebuild its damaged aviation business and Afriqiyah Airways is in the process of returning to the air. At least one of its Airbus A300 fleet was destroyed by shelling at Tripoli International Airport and its headquarters were destroyed at the height of the conflict. Engineers are currently completing extensive checks on the remainder of the fleet to check for bullet damage.

“It has been a very difficult situation for everybody involved with the airline,” its Chief Executive Officer, Rammah Ettir told The HUB at this week’s African Airlines Association Annual General Assembly in Marrakech, Morocco. “It is difficult for us to plan ahead. It is not yet clear where we stand. The interim government is expected to be in place within the week, but we don’t currently know what their plans are for the aviation business.”

Afriqiyah Airways has developed a draft business plan which could see the resumption of international flights from the beginning of December. The carrier is currently offering some domestic services, although these are at this stage predominantly on a humanitarian basis. The initial route map will cover Alexandria, Faro, Istanbul and Tunis and will be served by a single Airbus A319. In the longer-term the airline plans to resume flights to most of the destinations it served prior to the conflict.

The table below is a snapshot of the airline’s network from this time last year.

According to Mohamed Elmeshkhi, Organizations and International Relations Manager, Afriqiyah Airways, the interim government will be in place for an eight month period and he expects it will be a couple of years until we get a clear understanding of its policy and return to some stability in the country. In terms of the long-planned consolidation with Libyan Airlines, this is still likely and he confirmed that the carrier remains “open” to a merger, suggesting that this year’s events could help push this through to a conclusion.

Afriqiyah Airways launched operations on December 1, 2001 and should be celebrating its tenth anniversary next week. “I think we would say that it is only our ninth birthday again as we have lost a whole year,” remarked Mohamed Elmeshkhi. “Although you could perhaps say we have lost nine years of history and are starting once again with the rebirth of the airline,” he added.

Other stories from AFRAA AGA...

Afriqiyah Plans Its International Relaunch

Sika Airlines Plans Long-Haul Links from Accra

EgyptAir Flies Through the Storm

Nigeria a Shining Light for Air Safety in Africa

Okapi Airlines Launches Flights in DRC

EC Air Plans European Growth

First Nation Airways Launches in Nigeria