A close associate of Libya’s outgoing prime minister, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, has launched a new private airline company, which would be allowed to operate direct flights between Libya and Europe through Malta for the first time since 2014, a source told The Libya Update.
Mohamed El-Taher Issa, a pro-Dbeibeh businessman, is the owner of this Misurata-based company, which is called Med Sky (short for Mediterranean Sky), reported the source, who asked to remain anonymous for safety concerns.
Issa’s company is reportedly backed by Charles Saliba, Malta’s ambassador to Libya, who allegedly helped the company obtain the necessary licenses to work from Malta, according to the source.
Med Sky would be the first Libyan commercial airline to fly on European sky ever since the European Union halted direct flights with Libya in aftermath of the second civil war outbreak in 2014.
The Libya Update has reached out to the Maltese embassy in Tripoli for a comment, which is yet to be received.