The Libyan African Aviation Holding Company (LAAHCO) says Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) has agreed to renegotiate its outstanding aircraft order contracts. The state-owned firm is the parent of Libyan Airlines, Afriqiyah Airways, and United Aviation (Libya).

Libyan Airlines currently has six A350-900s on order while Afriqiyah is expecting 10 of the type.

Milad Matouk, transport minister for Libya's Government of National Accord, chaired a meeting on Sunday, November 8, in which he noted the Europeans' in-principle agreement to adjust the two orders' make up. Given current market conditions, the Libyans are keener to acquire A220s, A320/A321s, and A330s, he noted.

In tandem with this development, LAAHCO is searching for local and international financiers and investors to cover the financial ​​requirements of purchasing the new jets.

Contacted by ch-aviation, an Airbus spokesman declined to comment specifically on the talks saying they are "confidential".

Following years of civil war and the repeat deliberate bombing of government-controlled aviation assets, Libya's once-proud state-owned carriers are a ghostly shadow of their former Gaddafi-era selves. At present, the ch-aviation fleets module shows, Libyan Airlines operates six A320-200s (of which only one is active with the remaining five either undergoing damage repairs (two) or stored indefinitely (three)), two CRJ900LRs (stored/on repair), and three A330-200s (of which one is active while the other two are stored/on repair).

For its part, Afriqiyah operates one A300-600R(F) (undergoing maintenance), two A319-100s (one active, one undergoing maintenance), six A320-200s (four stored with one active and the other on repair), and two A330-200s (on repair) and one active A330-300. Last year, chairman Mustafa Maatug told ch-aviation Afriqiyah's discussions with Airbus had focussed on swapping the A350 order for A321-200Ns which would then be used to replace its current A319/A320ceo fleet.

LAAHCO has since formed a specialised committee to urge the GNA government and its Ministry of Finance to avail the hard currency needed to fund LAAHCO's airlines' international operations, especially with regards to maintenance dues.