Libya looks to normalise aviation with Ettir at the helm

Getting aviation services back on track is a one of the key objectives of Libya's new National Transition Council.

Delegates from the NTC are meeting in Paris today.

Sources in France suggest that Rammah Ettir, who led Afriqiyah airways to its growing success will be named as the chief executive of a new single Libyan airline as the assets of the two state-owned airlines Afriqiyah (which means Africa in Arabic) and Libyan Airlines are merged.

There will be a new name and new livery with the 9.9.99 tail design so familiar on the Afriqiyah fleet, disappearing.

The numbers signified the commencement of the African Union which is known as the Sirta Agreement, signed in Col Gadaffi's hometown of Sirta on Septemeber 9, 1999.

The restored Libyan civil aviation authority is likely to meet some international pressure towards the creation of Open Skies agreements with the intent to get normalisation of traffic but it is likely that Etiir will oppose it.

In interviews 18 months ago he argued that because of the sanctions that lasted against Gadaffi's regime for more than 20 years, the country had been unable to compete properly with new aircraft and systems. That had been changing with the addition of new Airbus aircraft - Afriqiyah has orders for A350s with the European manufacturer that are due for delivery in 2017.

In that interview he said:" It will be unfair for Libyan carriers because we were subject to 20 years of sanctions and thus we were not able to renew our fleet, build our air transport business, to train our crews, etc. We were almost isolated in the aviation sector. I think that the aviation sector in Libya needs a certain time to recover and to reach a certain level at which we will be confident that we will be able to compete. If we go now direct to liberalization it will be unfair competition because we were subject to sanctions."

The country will be assessing the damage to its fleet. Several Airbus aircraft belonging to both Afriqiyah and Libyan Airlines have been destroyed or severely damaged during rocket attacks on the airport but sources say much of the fleet is safe with business aircraft and the two ATR turboprops undamaged during the civil war.