Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh is on board an Italian plane as it conducts the first commercial flight in ten years between Italy and Libya today, Italian news agency Nova reports.
ITA Airways, the state-owned flag carrier of Italy, will leave today at 13.30 PM (Libya time) from the headquarters of the State Ceremonial at Leonardo da Vinci airport in the Italian town of Fiumicino, Nova reported, citing unnamed Libyan sources.
Dbeibeh will be on board the charter operated by ITA Airways, which will land at Tripoli’s Mitigate Airport at approximately 14:45 PM (Libya time), Nova said.
Two weeks ago, Italy agreed to lift a decade-long ban on Libyan civil aviation using Italian airspace. The resumption of commercial flights between the two countries should be operational on a regular basis perhaps as early as September as per the agreement.
Speaking to reporters upon arrival to attend the International Conference on Development and Migration yesterday in Rome, Dbeibeh hailed the move as “a step that paves the way for opening airspace with other countries,” according to a statement by the premier’s media office.
“We will work to open an air line between Rome and Benghazi,” he added.