Lifting Of Sanctions Seen As Boon For Air Travel
The recent easing of diplomatic tensions between the US and
Libya may soon have a profound impact on the North African nation's
aviation sector... especially for the private Libyan airline Buraq
Air, which is set to receive two new Boeing planes later this
year.
Such an order would have been unthinkable just two years ago,
when the country was still under tight sanctions due to Libya's
inclusion on the US "state sponsor of terrorism" list. Since the US
moved to resume full diplomatic negotiations with the country,
however, many in Libya's aviation sector see a new frontier
emerging for that country's airlines.
For example, with more planes comes more routes for Buraq to
fly... such as "Sudan, Egypt and Tunisia," said Buraq Air general
director Captain Mohamed Bubeida to the BBC. "With the demands now
and the increase of traffic between Tunis, Cairo and Damascus for
example, Buraq will at least cover the gap."
That, of course, will require better passenger facilities... as
well as more air traffic controllers to handle the skies.
"The terminals are not up to standard -- the airports we have
now, Tripoli International or Maitega, they have to be renewed
completely," Bubeida said. "We would like to see a new airport with
new facilities and new services. It's a huge investment that needs
to be done either by the government or other investors."
One of the priorities for Buraq is also to update its fleet of
older planes to meet ICAO safety standards. Several -- but not all
-- of the carrier's planes were listed on the blacklist announced by the EU
in March.
While it will take some
time for Libya to rebuild its aviation infrastructure after years
of neglect, the country's leaders are optimistic that Libya will
soon be a valuable hub for other airlines flying into Africa.
The leader of state-owned airline Afriqiyah, Captain Sabri
Abdallah, also expressed hope that one day Libya will be able to
compete on the worldwide market.
"We will see American companies, especially in the oil sector,
more involved in the Libyan market, and a lot of Libyan institutes
will head for the US for training or other business missions," said
Abdallah. "And don't forget we use Tripoli as a hub for the rest of
Africa so we could use the Afriqiyah flights to the US to extend
our network of operations."
Libyan airlines flying to the US... the times, they are
a'changin'.