Libya's Afriqiyah confirms suspension of European operations

Afriqiyah Airways has confirmed the suspension of its services to Europe, just one week after it announced that it was resuming them. 

According to a statement issued by the carrier, AeroVista, the UAE-based ACMI specialist which had wet-leased two A320-200s - 4L-AJD (cn 879) and 4L-AJF (cn 1422) - to the Libyans for use on flights to Europe, has decided to quit the country for security reasons

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AFRIQIYAH AIRWAYS - A330-300 - F-WWCK

Paul Bannwarth - TLS

AFRIQIYAH AIRWAYS - A330-300 - F-WWCK msn 1535

Photo:Alain Charpentier - TLS

AFRIQIYAH AIRWAYS - A330-300 - F-WWTS

Alain Charpentier - TLS

Afriqiyah, Libyan Airlines could resume European flights by March

Afriqiyah Airways and Libyan Arab Airlines could resume flights to Europe using their own metal as early as March this year, the Director General of the Libyan Civil Aviation Authority (LYCAA) has said. Speaking in Tripoli, Captain Nasereddin Shaebelain said a verification team from the European Union was now in the country to assess the state of the country's civil aviation industry. He underlined that Libya's ban was self-imposed in 2011 and did not cover the country as a whole, but rather applied to individual carriers. As such, he added, any resumption of flights to Europe would depend on the individual company conforming to EU specified standards. Since 2011, both Libyan national carriers have opted to use wet-leased Tunisair (TU, Tunis), Nouvelair (BJ, Monastir) and Air Moldova (9U, Chisinau) aircraft to cover their European-bound flights to Rome Fiumicino, Malta, Manchester Int'l, Madrid Barajas, London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Frankfurt Int'l and Dusseldorf.
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LIBYAN GOVERNMENT(AFRIQIYAH AIRWAYS)- A340-200 - 5A-ONE

Maxime Thibert - Orly - Paris

Afriqiyah's first A320 painted in the new livery

5A-ONO
Libya Adventures

Afriqiyah Airways unveils new livery

Image: Afriqiyah Airways

Afriqiyah Airways places firm order for four more A350 XWBs

Libyan carrier also up-sizes its original order for six A350-800s to larger A350-900s

Afriqiyah Airways has increased its A350 XWB fleet with a new firm order for four A350-900s. The carrier has also converted its original order for six A350-800s into six of the larger A350-900 model. This brings Afriqiyah’s total A350 XWBs on order to ten A350-900s.

Afriqiyah’s A350 XWBs will seat 314 passengers, offering them the industry’s ultimate cabin experience. These aircraft will be operated on new routes the carrier will open to destinations in the US, the Middle East and Asia.

“Having Afriqiyah come back with this new, incremental order for the A350 XWB is great news and a strong signal that this aircraft is the industry’s new benchmark in the long-haul segment,” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. “We are convinced that the A350’s unbeatable economics and superior passenger comfort will be key contributors to Afriqiyah’s continued success.”

The A350 XWB (Xtra Wide-Body) is an all-new mid-size long range product line comprising three versions and seating between 270 and 350 passengers in typical three-class layouts. The new Family will bring a step change in efficiency compared with existing aircraft in this size category, using 25 per cent less fuel and providing an equivalent reduction in CO2 emissions. Scheduled for entry-into-service in 2014, with Afriqiyah’s newest order included, the A350 XWB has already won 562 firm orders from 34 customers worldwide.

AIRBUS

Afriqiyah uses Air Moldova A320-200 for routes to European Union

Afriqiyah Airways has wet-leased A320-200 from Air Moldova to complement its own five A320-200s. It mainly uses the aircraft of its Moldovian partner for flights from Tripoli International  to the European Union where it serves London Gatwick and Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci International but is unable to use its own aircraft as Libya's airlines are still blacklisted by the EU.