Libyan Airlines
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| Founded | 1965 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubs | Tripoli International Airport Benina International Airport | ||||||
| Focus cities | Benghazi (Benina International Airport) | ||||||
| Alliance | Arab Air Carriers Organization | ||||||
| Fleet size | 17 | ||||||
| Destinations | 27 | ||||||
| Parent company | Jamahiriya Libyan Arab Airlines | ||||||
| Headquarters | Tripoli, Libya | ||||||
| Key people | Eng. Tareck Arebi, Chairman (CEO) | ||||||
| Website | http://www.ln.aero/ | ||||||
Libyan Airways (Arabic: الخطوط الجوية الليبية; transliterated: al-Khutut al-Jawiyah al-Libiyah), formerly known as Libyan Arab Airlines,[1] is the national flag carrier airline of Libya. It operates scheduled international services to European, African and Middle Eastern destinations. Its main base is Tripoli International Airport.
Libyan Airways is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization and the International Air Transport Association.
History
Libyan Airways was established in 1964 as Kingdom of Libya Airlines and started services in October 1965 using Caravelle jets to Europe. It later operated as Libyan Arab Airlines and Jamahiriya Libyan Arab Airlines. Boeing 727 aircraft were operated on European services during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The London Heathrow service was stopped in the 1980s due to political problems. Boeing 707s were used on long-haul services.
1990s
After the bombing of the Pan Am Boeing 747 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988, the United Nations imposed sanctions on Libya. All international operations ceased in 1992 as a result of UN trade sanctions imposed when Libya refused to hand over two government agents allegedly involved in the Lockerbie bombing. For a little more than ten years, the airline was forced to fly only to domestic destinations using old aircraft. The embargo was finally lifted in April 1999, allowing the airline to gradually rebuild its international services. In 2001 Air Jamahiriya was merged into Libyan Arab Airlines [2].
Future plans
After the ending of international sanctions against Libya, Libyan Airways as LAA reopened its first international route in over a decade to Amman, Jordan, in April 1999.
The carrier has also been negotiating with aircraft manufacturers as part of plans to add 25 new jet planes to its fleet. The planes would carry between 100 and 350 passengers and delivery would be by mid-April 2007. The extra jets would allow the airline to expand services to cover most of Africa, many European cities, as well as connections to China, India, Pakistan, Japan, the Philippines, Canada and the U.S. The primary reason for expansion is to replace the airline's ageing fleet and fend off increased competition. A programme is also in place to increase personnel and technical capacity. Four cargo planes, with a capacity of about 100 metric tonnes, would also be purchased under the plan.[3]
One of the purposes of the renewal would be to attract European tourists to Libya in a bid to raise passenger numbers. Libya is well positioned to be a hub serving Africa, the U.S. and Europe. The airline continues to launch new destinations as part of expansion plans; a twice weekly Milan-Tripoli service began on November 18th, 2006. Other new European destinations being considered are Madrid, Paris and Lyons.
Ticketing systems, inflight entertainment and an online presence are among the operational areas the airline is now looking at.[4]
Destinations
See full article: Libyan Airways destinations
Codeshare routes
Libyan Airways operates the following codeshare routes:
Fleet
The Libyan Airways fleet consists of the following aircraft as of February 2007:
| Aircraft | Number | Seats | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A300-600 | 2 | ||
| Airbus A310-200 | 2 | ||
| Airbus A320-200 | 2 | ||
| Fokker F-27 | 2 | ||
| Fokker F-28 | 3 | ||
| BAC 111-414EG | 1 | for executive use | |
| Boeing 727-200 | 3 | ||
| Gulfstream II | 1 | for executive use |
Incidents and accidents
On February 21, 1973, a Boeing 727 of Libyan Arab Airlines was shot by Israeli air forces that suspected it of being an enemy plane. Among 113 on board only 1 crew member and 4 passengers survived.
See full article: Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114
References
- ^ Libyan Airways AACO
- ^ Flight International 5-11 April 2005
- ^ (November 10, 2006), "Libyan Airline Plans Major Expansion", allafrica.com, Accessed Nov 11 2006
- ^ (Dec 2006), "New aircraft to underpin Libyan Airways’ reconstruction", Travel and Tourism News Middle East (TTN), Accessed Jan 3, 2007.