Italy and Libya on Saturday resumed commercial flights for the first time in a decade , authorities in the Libyan capital said.
Flight MT522, operated by the Libyan carrier Medsky Airways, departed Mitiga International Airport in Tripoli for Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport, according to Libyan airport authorities.
A return flight was scheduled to land in Tripoli on Saturday afternoon, according to Mitiga International Airport. Going forward, there will be one round-trip flight between the Libyan and Italian capitals on both Saturdays and Wednesdays, according to the Mitiga airport announcement.
The government of the outgoing Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh in Tripoli lauded the resumed flights, posting photos on social media that showed passengers boarding the flight and officials celebrating.
Italy and other western nations banned flights from Libya after the popular uprising that toppled longtime dictator Muammar Gadhafi in 2011.