Italy lifts 10-year airspace ban on Libyan civil flights

TRIPOLI, July 10: The Libyan government announced on Sunday that a 10-year ban on Libyan civil flights over Italian airspace has been lifted.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has conveyed the decision to her Libyan counterpart Abdul-Hamed Dbeibah, the Libyan government said in a statement.

The decision marks a significant improvement in relations between Italy and Libya and is expected to have a positive impact on air travel and aviation cooperation between the two Mediterranean countries, analysts said.

Flights between the two countries are scheduled to resume in September, according to the statement.

Libya's civil aviation industry was significantly affected by the country's instability and conflict since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011.