10 years after Alitalia's last flight, ITA Airways 'reopens' Tripoli: will be the only connection between Europe and Libya
Just over a decade after Alitalia last operated flights between Rome and Tripoli, ITA Airways has announced the opening [...]
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A little more than a decade after Alitalia last operated flights between Rome and Tripoli, ITA Airways has announced that it is opening for sale its connection between the Italian and Libyan capitals which will be triggered as of as of January 12, 2025. Flights had been halted in 2014 due to the ongoing violence and chaos in the country and never resumed.
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The operative consists of. Two frequencies operated on Thursdays and Sundays, departing Fiumicino at 9:15 a.m. and arriving in Tripoli at 12:10 p.m. In the opposite direction, it will depart the Libyan capital at 1:05 p.m. with arrival in Rome at 2:10 p.m.
The flights will be operated with Airbus A319s capable of 144 seats in two classes: business and economy.
The airport served is that of Mitiga, which is also a Libyan Air Force base and is the capital's old airport, located not far from the sea and the city center. Tripoli also has a second airport, located south of the capital and known as 'Tripoli International Airport,' but it was severely damaged by war operations during 2014. Since then, flights operating over the capital have been using the Mitiga airport.
Ita Airways will become from Jan. 12 the first and only airline in continental Europe to serve Libya. In fact, the bulk of the country's air traffic is supported by local airlines-Libyan Airlines, Afriqiyah Airways, and Buraq Air-which do not have access to EU airspace but serve destinations in North and Central Africa, the Middle East, and Istanbul.
The only foreign airlines to fly to Tripoli are Egyptair with a daily flight from Cairo operated by Boeing 737-800, Royal Jordanian Airlines from Amman (daily, Embraer ERJ E-2) and. Turkish Airlines flying there five times a week with a mix of 737-800s and 737 MAX 8s.
From the European (but not continental) Union, the Lebanese capital is served by Universal Air, a Maltese carrier that flies Dash 8-400 turboprops there three times a week.
With the opening of Tripoli the destinations operated by ITA Airways in Winter 2024-2025 will be 55.
"The North African country is a very important market and this connection will be able to contribute to the increase of trade between the two nations as well as to support the many Italian businesses operating in Libya, proudly supporting the Sistema Paese," explained ITA Director General Andrea Benassi.
E traffic between Rome and Tripoli will largely be business traffic. Libya is still a dangerous country, so much so that the country tab on Farnesina's Viaggiare Sicuri website opens with the following warning, "Precarious security conditions. Compatriots are urged not to travel to Libya and those there are urged to leave the country temporarily." It continues: "Travel to the country is not recommended., unless dictated by reasons of necessity, work or business. Leisure travel is discouraged, even if part of packages organized by Travel Agencies/Tour Operators."
