Libya Opens New Air Traffic Management Centre in Tripoli
Why It MattersModernised air traffic infrastructure in Libya could support renewed international overflight traffic through its airspace, a corridor long constrained by regional instability.
Libya has inaugurated a new Air Traffic Management Centre in Tripoli, part of the government's plan to upgrade air navigation services in line with international standards and regulations. The ceremony was attended by Lieutenant General Abdel-Fattah Al-Ballouq, Chief of Staff of Air Defence, along with representatives of the Air Force Chief of Staff, specialists from the Civil Aviation Authority and the Air Defence Staff, and the centre's technical personnel.
Officials reviewed the centre's operational workflow, coverage range, and the capabilities of its equipment and technologies, and monitored live communication between air traffic control and aircraft transiting Libyan airspace near the Kufra region and the Egyptian border to confirm coverage depth and communication quality.
Libya's Ministry of Transport described the opening as a significant qualitative leap in managing air traffic within Libyan airspace and said the centre would enhance the country's ability to attract and encourage more international airlines to resume transiting through its airspace. Transport Minister Mohamed Al-Shahoubi called for updated cooperation and coordination agreements between the Civil Aviation Authority and the Air Defence Staff, and stressed the importance of training and qualifying technical personnel to meet future requirements, while the Chief of Staff of Air Defence expressed readiness to expand cooperation and joint operations with the civil aviation sector.
