Afriqiyah Airways
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| Founded | 2001 | |||
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| Hubs | Tripoli International Airport | |||
| Frequent-flyer program | Rahal | |||
| Fleet size | 12 | |||
| Destinations | 4 | |||
| Headquarters | Tripoli, Libya | |||
| Key people | Captain Sabri Saad Shadi (Chairman) | |||
| Website | afriqiyah.aero | |||
Afriqiyah Airways (Arabic: الخطوط الجوية الأفريقية) is an airline based in Tripoli, Libya.[1] It operated domestic services between Tripoli and Benghazi and international scheduled services to over 25 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Due to the United Nations "No Fly Zone" instituted under Security Council Resolution 1973 the airline is unable to operate and all operations are therefore currently suspended. Its main base is Tripoli International Airport.[2] The name Afriqiyah comes from the Arabic language word for African. The 9.9.99 logo on the side of Afriqiyah's aeroplanes refers to the date of the Sirte Declaration which marked the formation of the African Union.[3][4] The idea was for Afriqiyah to be the "Airline of Africa" with its hub in Tripoli. Afriqiyah Airways is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization and the International Air Transport Association. The airline generated US$120 million in revenue in 2006.[5] By mid October 2010, Afriqiyah Airways and Libyan Airlines (Libya's other state flag carrier) were expected to merge into one airline.[6]
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[edit] History
The airline was established in April 2001 and commenced scheduled services on 1 December 2001. It is wholly owned by the Libyan government and has 287 employees (at March 2007).[2] The airline started off with Boeing 737-400 aircraft, but in 2003 introduced all Airbus equipment.
Afriqiyah Airways has signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the purchase of six Airbus A320s and three Airbus A319s plus an option on five, as well as for three Airbus A330-200s, with an option for three.[7] This acquisition is part of the long-term expansion strategy of the young Libyan airline. The first A319 was delivered on September 8, 2008.
The new A320s and A319s will be put into service on Afriqiyah’s growing international network, covering routes from its base at Tripoli to seventeen destinations in North-, West- and Central Africa and the Middle East, as well as to European destinations such as Paris, Brussels, London, Rome and Amsterdam. Afriqiyah’s A319s will carry 124 passengers in a two-class configuration,[8] while the A320 will seat 144 in two class configurations (J16/Y128). The A330s will serve the long-distance operations on routes to Southern Africa, Asia and Europe and will have a two-class configuration with 230 seats (J30/Y200).
[edit] Destinations
Afriqiyah Airways flew directly to various cities in Africa, Asia and Europe.
In the winter of 2010, two new routes were added to the airline's network - Beijing and Nouakchott.[9] Afriqiyah Airways also plans to introduce new services to Marseille.[10]
Two A330s that were delivered in 2009 were used to inaugurate new routes to Dhaka, Johannesburg and Kinshasa.[10] A third A330 which was delivered, crashed in Tripoli on an inbound flight (Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771) from Johannesburg on 12 May 2010.
[edit] Suspended Operations
As a consequence of the Libyan civil war and the resulting no-fly zone over the country enforced by NATO in accordance with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, all flight operations with Afriqiyah Airways were terminated on 17 March 2011.[11]
Point 17 of the United Nations resolution specifically bans flights from members of the United Nations of aircraft registered in Libya, effectively prohibiting under international law the operation of Libyan based airlines. This was rescinded as Afriqiyah Airways was officially unsanctioned on 16 September 2011, when Libyan-registered aircraft were again permitted to enter EU airspace. This resulted in the announcement that Afriqiyah Airways expects to resume flights between Tripoli and London by the end of the year, subject to the issue of the correct air transport and security permits, using A320 equipment. Onward connections to Accra, Dakar and Lagos are expected to resume in December 2011 when the A330s return from the Hadj flights.
[edit] Fleet
As of 14 December 2011, the Afriqiyah Airways fleet consists of the following aircraft with an average age of 2.9 years:[12]
| Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Options | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | Y | Total | |||||
| Airbus A319-111 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 96 | 112 | |
| Airbus A320-214 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 126 | 142 | 4 Were Stored |
| Airbus A321-200 | 0 | 3 | 0 | Unknown | |||
| Airbus A330-200 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 30 | 200 | 230 | Stored |
| Airbus A340-200 | 1 | 0 | 0 | VIP configuration | Gaddafi's Family Private Jet | ||
| Airbus A350-800 | 0 | 6 | 0 | TBD | |||
| Total | 12 | 10 | 8 | ||||
The single Airbus A340 was a private jet for former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, which he bought from Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia for $120 million in 2003.[13] Operated by Afriqiyah Airways and decorated externally in their colours, it was not the aircraft used in 2009 to repatriate Lockerbie bomber Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi, from Prestwick in Scotland on his licensed release from prison; this was an Airbus A300-600 5A-IAY which has now been destroyed. The A340 plane was captured at Tripoli airport in August 2011 as a result of the Libyan civil war, and found by BBC News reporter John Simpson to contain various luxuries including a jacuzzi.[14]
[edit] Accidents and Incidents
- On 12 May 2010, at 04:10 UTC (06:10 Tripoli time) Flight 771, an Airbus A330-202 flying from Johannesburg, South Africa to Tripoli, Libya, crashed on approach to Tripoli airport.[15] 11 crew members and 93 passengers were killed. The sole survivor was a nine-year-old Dutch boy. The aircraft, (serial number 1024), was delivered on 8 September 2009, thus being some eight months old at the time of the incident.[16] The aircraft had logged approximately 1600 hours on 420 flights. The weather at the time of the crash was officially recorded as cloudy, but with good visibility, and no fog or thunderstorms.[17] However, the aircraft was making an approach to the easterly runway, which has no blind landing aids. The sun was just on the horizon and a sandstorm had just passed, making the visibility into the sun decidedly murky. The westerly runway, away from the sun, had excellent visibility, however, and it is unclear why the pilot was directed to use the easterly runway in such marginal conditions following a long overnight flight.
- On 25 August 2011, During a crossfire during the Battle of Tripoli, Airbus A300B4-620 5A-IAY was destroyed,[18][19] and an Airbus A320 5A-ONK sustained damage to the starboard wing root by an RPG while it was parked on the ramp on Tripoli International Airport. It has also been reported that an Afriqiyah Airbus A330 was destroyed, although one hull 5A-ONH has been raked from stem to stern by machine gun fire.[20]
[edit] References
- ^ "Contact Us." Afriqiyah Airways. Established on 9 November 2009.
- ^ a b "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International: p. 51. 2007-03-27.
- ^ Airline's own explanation
- ^ CNN Wire Staff. "Crash survivor's family arrives in Tripoli." CNN. 13 May 2010. Retrieved on 14 May 2010.
- ^ "Political, visa issues driving Libya's Airbus orders", Business Intelligence Middle East Accessed May 30, 2008
- ^ (Sep 19, 2010) Shuaib, Ali,Libya's Airlines Expect to Merge Soon, Reuters Africa, Accessed Sep 19, 2010.
- ^ Afriqiyah Airways Orders (Airbus Press Release: July 18, 2006)
- ^ Aviation Week & Space Technology, Vol. 169 No. 10, 15 Sept. 2008, "A319 for Afriqiyah", p. 16
- ^ New Routes, Afriqiyah Website
- ^ a b (May 20, 2008), Endres, Gunter, Libya to restructure air transport sector, FlightGlobal, accessed May 20, 2008
- ^ United Nations. "Security Council Approves ‘No-Fly Zone’ over Libya, Authorizing ‘All Necessary Measures’ to Protect Civilians, by Vote of 10 in Favour with 5 Abstentions". http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2011/sc10200.doc.htm.
- ^ Afriqiyah Airways fleet list at planespotters.net
- ^ Gray, Sadie (August 20, 2009). "Lockerbie bomber’s private jet to freedom courtesy of Gaddafi". The Times (London). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article6802746.ece. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
- ^ Gordon Rayner (29 August 2011). "Libya: Gaddafi's private jet becomes leather-lined lounge for rebels". The Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8728361/Libya-Gaddafis-private-jet-becomes-leather-lined-lounge-for-rebels.html. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
- ^ "Libya plane crash 'kills all 105 on board'". BBC News. 2010-05-12. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8676758.stm. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
- ^ http://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-a330-1024.htm
- ^ http://www.rtl.nl/(/actueel/rtlnieuws/binnenland/)/components/actueel/rtlnieuws/2010/05_mei/12/binnenland/Nederlanders_omgekomen_bij_vliegramp_Tripoli.xml Dutch Referring the state of the plane and the weather forecast for Tripoli. Retrieved 12 May 2010
- ^ http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2011/08/26/361307/pictures-two-a300s-destroyed-in-tripoli-conflict.html
- ^ "5A-IAY Hull-loss description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20110825-0. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
- ^ Salama, Vivian (26 August 2011). "Tripoli Airport Attacked by Qaddafi Forces". Bloomberg. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-25/libyan-rebels-press-toward-qaddafi-s-hometown-of-sirte-as-reward-offered.html.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Afriqiyah Airways |
- Official website
- Official website (Arabic)
- Official website (Benelux)
- Afriqiyah Airways at ATDB: profile, history and events, contacts and management, historical/current/planned aircraft in fleets
