Libyan Interior minister denounces repeated attacks on Maitigua airport

Tripoli, Libya (PANA)   -  The minister of the Interior of the Libyan government of national accord, Fathi Bachagha, Monday denounced the repeated attacks on Maitigua, saying they were aimed paralyzing air traffic at the airport.

Bachagha made this comment during a meeting at the ministry of Communication attended by the minister, Milad Maatoug, deputy minister, chief of the intelligence services in Libya, the chairman of the civil society aviation and several other officials of airlines.

In a statement, the ministry of the Interior said the meeting was devoted “to the examination of the situation at the Maitigua international airport, as well as the risks and security that resulted from the hardly daily repeated attacks, which left several wounded among a certain number of pilgrims and crew members of an airplane, the possibility to elaborate a plan to resolve the situation and secure the airport, its staff and travelers, as well as the resumption of flights”.

During the meeting, Bachagha said “the repeated attacks and targeting against the airport have recently caused a stop of navigation at the airport”, adding that “those attacks have not only affected the installations of the landing strip, but also caused damage in the terminals of planes and the station of passengers and wounded a certain number of citizens”. 

Bashaga also stressed that “those attacks are weak act toward passengers and airplanes, meant to paralyze the air movement and provision of services to citizens”.

The ministry of communication in the Libyan government of national accord announced the coordination with airlines on the schedules of flights to and from Misrata airport, after the transfer of flights to that airport following the bombardment of Maitigua airport on Sunday.

Three airlines have decided to carry out their flights from the international airport of Misrata (220 km east of Tripoli) instead of the Maitigua international airport in Tripoli.

This is due to the continued closure of the latter after being bombarded early on Saturday, as it was preparing to receive a large number of pilgrims.

Four citizens, including three pilgrims, a woman and two men, and another citizen were wounded and 30 others fainted because of rockets dropped on Sunday on Maitigua airport.

-0-      PANA     BY/BEH/MSA/RA     2Sept2019