Libya, a country facing a destructive and violent political rivalry, continues to spiral into chaos. Until recently, Greece was part of the solution to help the wounded. Greek hospitals were a refuge for those hurt in the conflict. Victims were airlifted into Athens for the care they needed. Sources close to All About Aviation.gr confirm that the Libyan Civil Aviation Authority rejected Greek airline requests to help.
Ban on Greek Aircraft
The recent Greek aviation ban, a ban on all Greek aircraft registers to and from Libyan airports, has caused numerous problems in handling the wounded from Libya to Greece. All About Aviation.gr recently learned that Libyan Civil Aviation Authority did not agree to lease ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance) aircraft on a Libyan air carrier.
There have been more than 8,000 Libyans hospitalized in Greek hospitals due to the recent conflict as the country continues to be divided between two armies and governments. The recent air flight ban in combination with visa delays are significantly reducing the number of Libyan wounded that would be placed in Greek hospitals for proper care.
Conflict and the Aviation Industry
The violent conflicts between two governments, one secular and one Islamist, each with its own foreign sponsors has been an on-going destructive rivalry. The fighting has drastically reduced oil exports which have stifled the country’s population of 7 million.
In January, The Telegraph reported that the last foreign airline operating in Libya, Turkish Airlines, suspended all flights to and from the country. Turkish Airlines had suspended flights to Misrata which was the only remaining Turkish Airlines destination in Libya. The airline had earlier pulled its flights to Libya’s capital, Tripoli, as well as Benghazi and the inland desert city of Sebha.
“We have suspended our Misrata flights until further notice, due to operational issues,” a company spokesman said in an interview with The Telegraph.
Proper Medical Care for Libyans
The aviation ban has cut off the North African nation from the world as it continues to slip into disarray. Now, the use of Greek aviation services to airlift Libya’s wounded for proper medical in Greece appears to be a growing issue. The months ahead do not look promising in other aspects. European Union officials have predicted that as half a million people from the war torn country will try cross the Mediterranean this summer. Thousands have already died en route.
