Qatar and Libya ink MoU, paving the way for unlimited weekly flights between the two nations, updating existing bilateral air services agreements.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was inked between Qatar and Libya, according to a statement by the Qatar Ministry of Transport.

The MoU allows “the two countries’ national carriers to operate an unlimited number of passenger and cargo flights weekly with any types of planes and without restrictions”, the statement said.

This deal was signed by Qatar’s Mohammed Faleh Al Hajri, who spearheads the National Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA), and his Libyan counterpart, Mohammed Shalibak, the head of the Libyan Civil Aviation Authority (LCAA).
.
The Qatari Minister of Transport, Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti, also attended the signing ceremony,  as well as Libya’s ambassador in Doha, Mohammed Mustafa Al Saghir Al Lafi.

Talks were also held between the Qatari and Libyan delegations on how to strengthen cooperation within the aviation field.

The ministry’s communique also revealed that the provisions of the latest agreement updated the already existing bilateral air services agreement.

In September 2023, an MoU was signed between the QCAA and LCAA to “strengthen civil aviation facilities between Tripoli and Doha,” Libyan media reported.

The 2023 agreement included the establishment of cooperation channels within air traffic management and meteorological services, as well as the exchange of expertise and training.

This ushered in the resumption of direct flights between the two nations.

Amid intense fighting in the years that followed the Libyan Revolution in 2011, Qatar Airways suspended flights between Doha and Benghazi in June 2013.

The flight route was abandoned after an incident where protesters stopped non-Libyan passengers arriving from Doha to go through passport control, Libyan media reported. The Libya Herald added that the pilot of the plane was personally told not to fly to Benghazi again.