Libyan Airlines (LN, Tripoli Mitiga) has been given the greenlight by the European Commission to transit European airspace on its flights to Istanbul Atatürk. The Libyan Civil Aviation Authority (LyCAA) said in a statement that talks between itself, EU representatives and Libyan airline officials had resulted in the partial lifting of an air embargo, imposed in November 2014.
According to a press release, on Sunday, Libyan Airlines resumed flights to Turkey from Tripoli Mitiga and Misurata, 220 km east of the capital, after obtaining authorization from the European Union to transit the international waters of Cyprus and Greece.
Prior to the partial lifting of the embargo, Libyan aircraft were forced to fly over Egyptian airspace, which had demanded all flights from Tripoli and Misrata, which are currently in the hands of the Fajr Libya (Libyan Dawn) Islamist militia, transit the towns of Brak and Tobruk which are controlled by the internationally-recognized Libyan government.
Cairo demanded the stop to allow Libyan government officials to screen out any potential Islamist fighters from the flights.
