The Tunisian government announced on 18 August, that it authorises the resumption of commercial flights from two Libyan airports which had been suspended since August 2014 for security reasons. “Starting today, airspace is reopened to Libyan airline companies for flights departing from all Libyan airports, in the East as in the West, for airports in Tunisia”, the Tunisian Minister of Transport stated in a communiqué.

The decision concerns Miitiga, near Tripoli, and Misrata, east of the capital, specified Habib Mekki, Managing Director of the Office of Civil Aviation and Airports (OACA), to AFP. Flights from Syrte (Centre) are still prohibited given that the town is under the control of the terrorist group Islamic State (IS). The Ministry of Transport explained having taken the decision to authorise flights from Miitiga and Misrata following “a series of meetings between the civil aviation services in both countries and after an audit conducted by a technical team in the Libyan airports”.

Libya has been plunged in chaos since the fall of Mouammar Kadhafi's regime in 2011. Two governments are disputing for legitimacy while extremist groups such as IS and Ansar al-Charia are firmly implanted in the country.