Afriqiyah Airways
Libya · AFRIQIYAH · Active
Airline Identity
History
Afriqiyah Airways was established in April 2001 and began scheduled services on 1 December 2001 as one of Libya's state-owned flag carriers, headquartered in Tripoli and built around an all-Airbus fleet including A300-600, A320, A330, and A340 aircraft. The airline's operations were severely disrupted by the 2011 Libyan civil war and the subsequent closure of Tripoli International Airport in July 2014 amid fighting, which destroyed or damaged much of its fleet on the ground and forced a shift of operations to Mitiga International Airport. It has continued operating in a much-reduced form ever since, under the ownership of the Libyan African Aviation Holding Company, itself controlled by the Libyan government.
Current Operations
Afriqiyah Airways currently runs a small route network out of Mitiga International Airport with a much-diminished Airbus fleet (one stored A330 was broken up for parts in Hamburg in November 2025), reflecting the airline's long struggle to rebuild after years of conflict and fleet losses. Libyan-registered aircraft, including Afriqiyah's, remain banned from European Union airspace, forcing longer rerouted flight paths on international services such as Tripoli–Istanbul. The airline holds interline and partnership arrangements with carriers such as Hahn Air and ASL Airlines Ireland, and is not part of any global alliance; separately, Libyan authorities have discussed establishing a new national carrier, though this had not replaced Afriqiyah as of late 2025.
Last verified 2026-09-02· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.