Turkish Airlines Returns to Libya after Near Decade-Long Break

Turkey’s flagship carrier, Turkish Airlines, has resumed flights to Libya’s capital, almost 10 years after they were suspended over security concerns in the conflict-torn country.

The airlines’s chief executive, Bilal Eksi, attended a ceremony at Mitiga International Airport on Thursday to mark its first flight to Libya since 2015.

“We are delighted to start flights again to Libya, with which we have historical ties,” Eksi said.

“We will continue to bring cultures together in Africa, as in many continents,” he added.

A company spokesman told AFP on Friday that Turkish Airlines will operate flights to Tripoli three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

Turkish Airlines flies to 130 countries and 346 destinations.

Libya is still struggling to recover from years of war that followed the overthrow and death of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

The country’s rule is split between rival administrations — Tripoli in the west and Benghazi in the east.

Turkey has backed the Tripoli government but Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in February that Ankara would soon reopen its consulate in Benghazi.

“We want Libya to resolve its problems through dialogue. We also do not want the current existing division between the east and west to become permanent,” he said back then.