Libyan Airlines
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| Libyan Airlines الخطوط الجوية الليبية |
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|---|---|---|
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| IATA LN |
ICAO LAA |
Callsign LIBYAN |
| Founded | 1965 | |
| Hubs | Tripoli International Airport Benina International Airport |
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| Focus cities | Benghazi (Benina International Airport) | |
| Fleet size | 13 (+17 orders) | |
| Destinations | 30 | |
| Parent company | Libyan African Aviation Holding Company | |
| Headquarters | Tripoli, Libya | |
| Key people | Capt. Mohamed M. Ibsem, Chairman (CEO) | |
| Website: http://www.ln.aero/index.php | ||
Libyan Airlines (Arabic: الخطوط الجوية الليبية; transliterated: al-Khutut al-Jawiyah al-Libiyah),[1] is the national flag carrier airline of Libya, based in Tripoli. It operates scheduled passenger and cargo services within Libya and to Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Its main base is Tripoli International Airport.[2] The airline carried 885,000 passengers in 2007, of which 40% travelled on domestic services. It expects to carry 950,000 passengers this year. Libyan Airlines and Afriqiyah Airways, Libya's other state carrier, have recently been grouped under Libyan African Aviation Holding Company, an umbrella organisation created to oversee a co-ordinated development of Libya's air transport sector.[3] The airline is also a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization and the International Air Transport Association.
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[edit] History
Libyan Airlines was established in 1964 as Kingdom of Libya Airlines and started services in October 1965 using Caravelle jets to Europe. It later operated as Libyan Arab Airlines and Jamahiriya Libyan Arab Airlines. Boeing 727 aircraft were operated on European services during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The London Heathrow service was stopped in the 1980s due to political problems. Boeing 707s were used on long-haul services.[citation needed]
After the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, a Boeing 747, over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988, the United Nations imposed sanctions on Libya. All international operations ceased in 1992 as a result of UN trade sanctions imposed when Libya refused to hand over two government agents allegedly involved in the Lockerbie bombing. For a little more than ten years, the airline was forced to fly only to domestic destinations using old aircraft. The embargo was finally lifted in April 1999, allowing the airline to gradually rebuild its international services. In 2001 Air Jamahiriya was merged into Libyan Arab Airlines [2].
After the ending of international sanctions against Libya, Libyan Airlines as LAA reopened its first international route in over a decade to Amman, Jordan, in April 1999.
[edit] Operations
Libyan Airlines and Afriqiyah Airways, together with business jet operator United Aviation, and their handling, maintenance and catering companies, have recently been grouped under Libyan African Aviation Holding Company. The handling, maintenance and catering organisations had previously been separated from Libyan Arab Airlines, with the flying activities refocused under the name of Libyan Airlines. LAAHC is owned by four government entities: the Libyan National Social Fund (30%), Libyan National Investment Company (30%), Libya-Africa Investment Fund - previously the owner of Afriqiyah Airways - (25%), and the Libyan Foreign Investment Company (15%).[3] The LAAHC has been created in a bid to privatise much of the airline's operations, and further strengthen the probability of a merger between the two state airlines. The codeshare set to be implemented on all flights of the two airlines from June this year is the first step towards a merger.[3]
The carrier has been negotiating with aircraft manufacturers for new jet planes for its fleet. The extra jets would allow the airline to expand services to cover most of Africa, many European cities, as well as connections to China, India, Pakistan, Japan, the Philippines, Canada and the U.S. The airline recently upgraded a previous Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Airbus for the purchase of 15 new aircraft, four A350s, four A330-200s and seven A320s to a firm order.[4]
The reason for expansion is to continue to replace the airline's ageing fleet after three Bombardier CRJ900 regional jets were delivered last year, with options remaining on another two aircraft. It would also be to fend off increased competition. A programme is in place to increase personnel and technical capacity. Four cargo planes, with a capacity of about 100 metric tonnes, would also be purchased under the plan.[5]
One of the purposes of the renewal would be to attract European tourists to Libya in a bid to raise passenger numbers. The airline continues to launch new destinations as part of expansion plans; a twice weekly Milan-Tripoli service began on November 18th, 2006 with other new European destinations being considered.
Ticketing systems, inflight entertainment and an online presence are among the operational areas the airline is now looking at.[6] As of September 2007, the airline has begun to issue electronic tickets.[7]
[edit] Destinations
[edit] Codeshare agreements
Libyan Airlines operates the following codeshare routes:
- Frankfurt with Lufthansa
- Vienna with Austrian Airlines
- Zurich with Swiss International Airlines
- All routes with Afriqiyah Airways
[edit] New destinations
The airline has recently introduced a new international route to Athens; flights depart to Athens International Airport from Tripoli and Benghazi. The carrier will also launch further new routes from June 17th 2009; three weekly flights will depart from Tripoli to Madrid, Munich and Ankara, two weekly flights from Sebha to Niamey, and two weekly flights to the Sudanese capital Khartoum from Benghazi. The airline has also announced the expansion of its route network to include daily flights to Tunis, Cairo, Alexandria, Dubai, Amman, Casablanca, commencing from mid June.[8] One city in China is also targeted for the near future. The airline planned to launch a route to a French city, but bilateral agreements allow for only seven flights between France and Libya. The airline has requested 28, but were offered only two additional flights from winter 2008/09, and only from regional airports.[3]
[edit] Fleet
The Libyan Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of 3 June 2008):
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A300B4-600R | 2 | ||
| Airbus A320-200 | 3 (6 orders) |
Operated by Nouvelair | |
| Airbus A330-200 | (4 orders) | ||
| Airbus A350 XWB | (4 orders) | ||
| Bombardier CRJ 900ER | 5 | ||
| Fokker F27 | 2 | ||
| Fokker F28 | 1 |
As of 3 June 2008, the average age of the Libyan Airlines fleet is 8.6 years ([1]).
[edit] Incidents and accidents
On February 21, 1973, a Boeing 727 of Libyan Arab Airlines was shot down by Israeli air forces that suspected the civilian jet was an enemy plane. Among the 113 on board, 1 crew member and 4 passengers survived.
[edit] References
- ^ Libyan Airlines AACO
- ^ a b "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International: p. 105. 2007-04-03.
- ^ a b c d (May 20, 2008), Endres, Gunter, Libya to restructure air transport sector, FlightGlobal, Accessed May 20, 2008
- ^ (Dec 10, 2007), Libyan Airlines to order 15 Airbus aircraft including A350s, A330s and A320s, Airbus Press Releases, Accessed Dec 10, 2007
- ^ (November 10, 2006), "Libyan Airline Plans Major Expansion", allafrica.com, Accessed Nov 11 2006
- ^ (Dec 2006), "New aircraft to underpin Libyan Airways’ reconstruction", Travel and Tourism News Middle East (TTN), Accessed Jan 3, 2007.
- ^ (Sep 1, 2007) Libyan Airlines begin issuing electronic ticket Libyaninvestment.com, Accessed Sep 4, 2007
- ^ (June 7, 2009), Libyan Airlines launches new routes, AMEInfo, Accessed June 11, 2009
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Libyan Airlines |
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Wikinews has related news: Air Independence and Libyan Airlines place orders for Bombardier aircraft valued at $190 million |
