Afriqiyah Airways (8U, Tripoli Mitiga) and sister carrier, Libyan Airlines (LN, Tripoli Mitiga), are both in the process of acquiring freighter aircraft in a bid to regain control of the Libyan market from foreign operators. Libyan Airlines' chairman, Khalid Taynaz, told industry publication, Loadstar, that his airline's maiden dedicated freight operations will begin as soon as the required aircraft arrived.
“We are now in negotiations to lease one aircraft and are thinking of buying another second-hand, most likely an A300-600(F),” he said.
Meanwhile, Afriqiyah's general manager, AbuBaker Elfortia, says his airline intends to establish its own dedicated freight subsidiary having absorbed failing local operator, Libo Air Cargo (Tripoli Mitiga), last year.
Both carriers are eyeing a slice of the lucrative import market where commodities such as food, delicate and precious goods and even clothes have attracted high demand despite the premium charged.
At present, the only home-based operator is Global Air Transport (5S, Tripoli Mitiga) which operates freight services using an Airbus A300-600(F) wet-leased from EgyptAir (MS, Cairo International), alongside an Il-76.
Despite the country's precarious socio-political situation, the Libyan Civil Aviation Authority (LyCAA) intends to push ahead with plans to develop Sebha, a city about 640 kilometres (400 mi) south of Tripoli, into a cargo hub.
“This is a viable idea because we have thousands of kilometres of space in the desert and fuel here is very cheap,” LyCAA director general, Captain Nasereddin Shaebelain, said. “Charges for fuel, storage and handling fees could be kept very low and this would be attractive for a lot of operators.”
