ICAO lifts airspace restrictions on Libya imposed in 2015 during civil war

Tripoli, Libya. The Libyan Ministry of Transport announced on Monday that the airspace restrictions imposed by the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in 2015, while the country was in the midst of civil war, have been lifted.

Announcement in Doha

According to the ministry, the decision was formally issued on October 23. ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar made it public at the opening of a meeting of Middle East civil aviation officials in Doha.

In a statement on its verified Facebook page, the Tripoli-based ministry described the step as the result of notable progress and of confidence in the capabilities of Libya’s civil aviation sector in recent times. The ministry added that the ICAO decision would be sent to all 193 member states for implementation.

Background of the restrictions

Libya fell into turmoil after Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in 2011 in a Nato-backed uprising. A civil war began three years later, with armed factions competing for power, and it split the country between eastern and western administrations.

In 2014, the fighting damaged as many as 20 aircraft, among them Airbus models, at Tripoli International Airport.

Current air links

Only a small number of airlines currently run flights to and from Libya. Their routes have long been confined to destinations including Tunisia, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Sudan.