Direct flights between Italy and Libya resumed on Sunday after ten years of interruption, announced the Italian company ITA Airways.
The Roman airport of Fiumicino and that of Tripoli, Mitiga, will be connected twice a week, the company said. The resumption of flights between the two countries after a decade of cessation “is part of a constant and concerted effort by Italian institutions and economic actors to strengthen ties with Libya, a strategic and privileged partner of our country”, he said. explained the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs in a press release. At the end of October, Libya and Italy signed several agreements, particularly in the field of infrastructure, with the aim of strengthening their cooperation.
The agreements were signed by Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah and the head of the Italian government Giorgia Meloni, within the framework of the Italy-Libya Business Forum, which was held in Tripoli after a ten-year hiatus. The return of ITA Airways and the lifting of travel restrictions for Italian businessmen were also announced on this occasion. Italy is the main trading partner of Libya, which was an Italian colony at the beginning of the 20th century. Trade between Rome and Tripoli exceeded 10 billion euros in 2022, according to official figures.
The agreements signed in Tripoli are part of the Italian “Mattei Plan” for Africa, which advocates a cooperative relationship with African countries, helping them develop their natural resources. One of the objectives: to reduce irregular migration from Africa. Taking advantage of the political instability in Libya, smugglers smuggle thousands of people each year, particularly from African countries, via the Mediterranean. These migrants are trying to reach Italy, some 300 kilometers from the Libyan coast.
Libya is still struggling to recover from the conflict and chaos that followed the uprising that toppled dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The country is today divided between the government of Mr. Dbeibah, recognized by the UN and based in Tripoli (west), and the rival authority in the East supported by strongman Khalifa Haftar.
The Roman airport of Fiumicino and that of Tripoli, Mitiga, will be connected twice a week, the company said. The resumption of flights between the two countries after a decade of cessation “is part of…
