The economic downturn has done little to dent the joint achievements of Libya’s national airlines which have both expanded their fleets and added to their routes in a bid to accommodate a rising influx of visitors, according to the Chairman and Managing Director of Libyan African Aviation Holding Company (LAAHCO), Sabri Saad Shadi.

Shadi said that Afriqiyah Airways and Libyan Airlines, both of which are owned by LAAHCO, are enjoying a boom thanks to ongoing tourism development projects in the country and the business-related opportunities that these initiatives are providing.

He believes the increased activity in both passengers and air freight reflects the government’s push to establish Libya as the primary gateway to Africa. “We will soon be receiving 10 Airbus A350s, which will serve the hub facilities at the Libyan airports that are currently under construction, and by the end of 2010 the joint network will include more than 60 international destinations,” he said.

Shadi added that the plan to expand LAAHCO’s airlines was just one indication of the healthy state of Libya’s tourism sector. Others, he said, included the wealth of projects under construction in the country, especially tourist resorts and infrastructure. “In Tripoli alone at least 10 five-star hotels are being built and a number of four- and three-star hotels are already complete,” he said. “Whole tourist villages are now operational and many more are being erected.”

He acknowledged that Afriqiyah Airways and Libyan Airlines had little in the way of competition, especially after a number of private operators bowed out of the market, leaving just two in operation. However, Shadi didn’t rule out the possibility of a low-cost carrier (LCC) starting up business in Libya in the future. “As more regional airports are opened to international travel and the use of the internet as a trading tool becomes common in Libya and the surrounding countries, a Libyan LCC could eventually emerge,” he said.

Sabri Saad Shadi was speaking to Oxford Business Group (OBG), the global publishing, research and consultancy firm. The interview appears in full in the Group’s forthcoming business guide, The Report: Libya 2010, together with detailed business intelligence on the country’s macroeconomics, infrastructure, political landscape, banking and sectoral developments.

The report also contains interviews with or viewpoints by other high-profile personalities from business and politics, including Libya’s leader, Colonel Muammar Abu Minyar Al Qaddafi, Governor of the Central Bank of Libya, Farhat O. Bengdara and Chairman of the National Oil Company (NOC), Shukri Ghanem.

OBG’s report, which is the Group’s second on Libya’s economy, will also include additional features and analysis to mark the country’s 40th anniversary since Colonel Qaddafi came to power. The Report: Libya 2010 will be available in print form or online.

Global Arab Network