Egypt-Libya direct flights to resume from September 30 after one-year hiatus

Libyan Airlines has announced resumption of direct flights from Tripoli to the Egyptian capital city Cairo from 30 September. The Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority Director on 19 September, Sunday announced that flights will begin operation from three Libyan airports namely -- Mitiga, Benin, and Misrata to Cairo after a year-long hiatus. The decision came within weeks after Egyptian officials met the Libyan counterparts to enhance peace talks and boost bilateral relations between the nations.

Libyan government spokesperson Mohamed Hamuda on Sunday confirmed that "flights from Mitiga in Tripoli, Misurata, and Benina in Benghazi to Cairo will start from 30 September." The decision was finalised after Libyan interim Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah visited Cairo. The move is assumed to restore frayed relations between Egypt and Libya.

According to reports by the Xinhua News Agency, the final announcement made on Sunday will follow the raft of agreements signed on 16 September. According to this, Tripoli will see Egyptian companies "play a larger role" in infrastructural and bilateral developments with the former's interim government. 

Dbeibah's interim government was appointed after the UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF.) The main task of the sitting National Unity Party is to ascertain the course of safe and complete conduction of general elections later this year. The elections will be overseen by the LPDF.

Libya signed six contracts, 14 memoranda with Cairo

In the meeting conducted on 16 September, the Libyan government signed as many as six contacts with the Egyptian developers to reconstruct infrastructure in Tripoli. Dubbed as "enforcement agreements," the Joint Committee meeting convened under the chairmanship of the Council of Ministers reached to understanding in sectors of navigation and relics, agriculture and water resources, commerce and heavy industries, infrastructure and development, and civil aviation, President of the Egyptian Council of Ministers said in a Facebook statement.

The talks proceeded in the presence of Libyan General Khalifa Haftar and Speaker of Tobruk-based House of Representatives Aguila Salehin Cairo. As per the discussions during the high-level ministerial dialogue, Libya may also open doors to more Egyptian workers. As per Egypt-based Enterprise News reports, the Libyan Minister for Manpower asserted that the North African country may need at least 1 million human resources to ascertain growth and development. Both the countries have indulged in dialogue post Libyan crisis in 2011.

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