عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Egyptian Delegation Inspects Libya’s Airports to Resume Direct Flights

A delegation from the Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation inspects Benina International Airport, east of Benghazi (Libya’s Airports Authority)
A delegation from the Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation inspects Benina International Airport, east of Benghazi (Libya’s Airports Authority)
TT
TT

Egyptian Delegation Inspects Libya’s Airports to Resume Direct Flights

A delegation from the Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation inspects Benina International Airport, east of Benghazi (Libya’s Airports Authority)
A delegation from the Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation inspects Benina International Airport, east of Benghazi (Libya’s Airports Authority)

A delegation from Egypt’s Civil Aviation Ministry is expected to complete its mission to inspect Libya’s main airports ahead of the resumption of direct flights to Cairo International Airport.

Their mission came following the meeting of the Libyan-Egyptian Joint Consulate which agreed to facilitate travel between the two countries.

Libya’s Airports Authority said the delegation inspected on Wednesday Benina International Airport, east of Benghazi.

Its members were received by delegates from the Libyan aviation and airports departments, in addition to representatives from the Libyan Airlines and Afriqiyah Airways.

The delegation was briefed on the security procedures and measures taken at the Benina Airport.

An official in Libya’s Airports Authority told Asharq Al-Awsat that the delegation noticed a commitment to implement internationally followed security and safety measures.

The delegation has also visited Mitiga and Misrata international airports.

On March 2, 2020, the Egyptian authorities granted Libyan Airlines an exceptional permission to land at Cairo Airport.

Then Foreign Minister of Libya’s Government of National Accord Mohamed Taher Siala was on board the flight to take part in a regular meeting for the Arab League.

Flights from Libya to Egypt could only land at Borg El Arab International Airport in Alexandria.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Lebanese and Palestinians Leaders Agree That Lebanon Won’t Be Used as a Launchpad to Strike Israel

This handout picture released by the Lebanese presidency shows Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun (R) welcoming his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas at the Baabda presidential palace, east of the capital Beirut, on May 21, 2025. (Lebanese Presidency / Handout / AFP)
This handout picture released by the Lebanese presidency shows Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun (R) welcoming his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas at the Baabda presidential palace, east of the capital Beirut, on May 21, 2025. (Lebanese Presidency / Handout / AFP)
TT
TT

Lebanese and Palestinians Leaders Agree That Lebanon Won’t Be Used as a Launchpad to Strike Israel

This handout picture released by the Lebanese presidency shows Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun (R) welcoming his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas at the Baabda presidential palace, east of the capital Beirut, on May 21, 2025. (Lebanese Presidency / Handout / AFP)
This handout picture released by the Lebanese presidency shows Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun (R) welcoming his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas at the Baabda presidential palace, east of the capital Beirut, on May 21, 2025. (Lebanese Presidency / Handout / AFP)

The Lebanese and Palestinian presidents agreed Wednesday that Palestinian factions won't use Lebanon as a launchpad for any attacks against Israel, and to remove weapons that aren't under the authority of the Lebanese state.

The announcement was made during a meeting between President Joseph Aoun and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who arrived earlier in the day beginning a three-day visit to Lebanon, his first in seven years.

Lebanon's government is seeking to establish authority throughout the country, mainly in the south near the border with Israel after the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war that ended in late November with a US-brokered ceasefire.

The 12 Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon aren't under the control of the Lebanese state, and Palestinian factions in the camps have different types of weapons. Rival groups have clashed inside the camps in recent years, inflicting casualties and affecting nearby areas.

It wasn't immediately clear how the weapons would be removed from the camps, which are home to tens of thousands of Palestinians, many of them descendants of families that fled to Lebanon after Israel was created in 1948.

Abbas' Fatah movement and the Hamas group are the main factions in the camps. Smaller groups also have a presence in the camps — mainly in Ein el-Hilweh, which is Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp and located near the southern port city of Sidon.

A joint statement read by the Lebanese presidency's spokeswoman, Najat Sharafeddine, said that both sides have agreed that weapons should only be with the Lebanese state, and the existence of “weapons outside the control of the Lebanese state has ended.”

The statement said that both sides have agreed that Palestinian camps in Lebanon aren't “safe havens for extremist groups.” It added that “the Palestinian side confirms its commitment of not using Lebanese territories to launch any military operations.”

In late March, Israel intensified its airstrikes on Lebanon in response to Hamas allegedly firing rockets at northern Israel from southern Lebanon.

Shortly after the wave of airstrikes, the Lebanese government for the first time called out the Palestinian group and arrested nearly 10 suspects involved in the operation. Hamas was pressured by the military to turn in three of their gunmen from different refugee camps.

The nearly 400,000 Palestinians in Lebanon are prohibited from working in many professional jobs, have few legal protections and can't own property.