Making the keynote speech at the opening of today’s Libya International Aviation Forum and Exhibition (3-4 November), Medsky Airlines CEO, Seraj Al-Fituri said Libya should not be just a destination, it should be an important strategic hub.
The privately-owned Libyan carrier, MedSky Airlines, operates flights to and from Tripoli and Benghazi to the European destination of Malta, Rome, Milano, Athens, Madrid, Dusseldorf and Paris. It has registered its aircraft in the EU to enable it to circumvent the operative EU flight ban on Libya.
Al-Fituri said the sector should be turned into a strategic economic industry and not just a service sector. He asked weather Libya has indeed invested in its vital geographical location in order to leverage it commercially?
Breaking the EU flight embargo and aviation isolation
The MedSky CEO said Libya has suffered for years as a result of the flight embargo and stated that breaking this isolation needs a joint effort between the state and the private sector.
He said based on Medsky’s experience; its vision is not just about adding flights. He said his company wants to build bridges between Libya and Europe to promote links between both trade and economic sectors.
He said his company built several destinations as part of its network – these destinations were chosen strategically as both economic and tourism destinations.
However, he insisted no company cannot do it alone – adding that a joint effort by the aviation sector is needed. The MedSky CEO listed several sectors that needed development to leverage Libya’s aviation industry.
‘‘We need a new strategic investment outlook for the sector so that Libya becomes a bridge between Africa and Europe.
We need to develop Libya’s airports to deal with this development.
We need a national strategy for destinations.
We need to invest in HR across all subsectors.
We need international cooperation and partnerships in airports etc.
Digital transformation is needed in the sector including e-payments.
Cargo freight needs development and investment can help.
With regards to safety and sustainability, he said safety is not negotiable in the aviation sector.
To international partners:
Directing his speech at potential international partners, the MedSky CEO said Libya’s aviation sector is ready for investment and development – but insisted it needs long term cooperation, development and partnerships.
Future:
Looking into the sector’s future, the MedSky CEO posed several questions.
He asked what kind of future aviation sector does Libya need?
How many cities in Europe and Africa does it want to link to?
How many Libyan youths does it want to create jobs for?
How much added value can it add to the sector?
In concluding, he reminded that while Libya is strategically located between Europe, Africa and the Gulf/Asia, – he stressed that it needs to leverage this and take advantage of this as part of a strategic vision between the private and public sector.
This needs to be beyond simply transporting passengers between destinations. MedSky wants to be part of building an aviation industry – not just building a transit point.
