Airbus and Boeing vie to supply carrier's short- and long-haul aircraft after lifting of US embargo opens trading path
Libyan Arab Airlines is in talks with Airbus and Boeing about the renewal of its ageing fleet, following the lifting of US sanctions against the Libyan government.
While a decision on the number of aircraft and their type has yet to be made, the carrier is understood to be considering the Airbus A330 and Boeing 777 for long-haul operations and the Airbus A320 or Boeing 737 for its short-haul fleet. Recent reports citing airline chief executive Hussein Dabnoun suggest it could looking for as many as 24 new aircraft.
The airline's own jet fleet comprises ageing types - nine Boeing 727-200 Advs, five Fokker F28 Mk4000s and several Boeing 707s as well as two Airbus A310s - only some of which are operational. Although in recent months the carrier has operated Tunisian-registered Airbus A300-600s and A320s on lease, the bulk of its fleet is in need of modernisation.
"We have old types of aircraft - only about half of these are in operation," Libyan Arab Airlines international relations director Ali Abusowa told Flight International at the Arab Air Carriers Organisation conference in Jordan earlier this month.
"We did not have the chance to obtain new aircraft, nor the best servicing or training of crews."
Abusowa adds that the lifting of the embargo "means a lot for us. There is new hope for us to renew our fleet...one of our challenges is to bring our service up to internationally recognised standards."
He says that fleet renewal is a central part of the carrier's strategy to re-establish itself as a major airline in the region, and says that the carrier hopes to make a decision "soon", adding that Libyan Arab aims to re-establish strong network links from Tripoli and other Libyan cities - possibly with codeshare partners and co-operative services.
Sanctions against Libya were originally imposed in 1986 after the US government accused the state of involvement in terrorist attacks at Rome and Vienna airports the previous year.
DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW / AMMAN
Source: Flight International
