Libyan Arab Airlines
Libya · LIBAIR · Active
Airline Identity
History
The carrier now known as Libyan Airlines was founded in September 1964 as Kingdom of Libya Airlines and began operations in August 1965 with Sud Caravelle jets, expanding to European and Middle Eastern destinations within its first year. Following the 1969 coup it was renamed Libyan Arab Airlines, and it endured decades of disruption from a US embargo starting in 1978 and UN sanctions imposed in 1992 over the Lockerbie and UTA 772 bombings, which suspended most international flying until 1999. The airline was rebranded Libyan Airlines in 2006 and, after a further suspension during the 2011 Libyan civil war, resumed operations later that year and has since rebuilt with an all-Airbus fleet.
Current Operations
Libyan Airlines operates an all-Airbus fleet (A320s, A330s and A350-900s) from its main base at Tripoli International Airport and a secondary base at Benina International Airport in Benghazi, serving domestic Libyan routes plus international destinations across the Middle East, North Africa and, increasingly, Europe as diplomatic ties are rebuilt. It remains 100% state-owned, operating as a subsidiary of the state Libyan Afriqiyah Aviation Holding Company, and continues to be listed on the EU air-safety ban (extended through 2025-2026) even as individual EU states such as Italy have resumed direct services to Libya. It is not a member of any global alliance.
Last verified 2026-09-02· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.