Government moves to secure airports and airspace

While the Ethiopian Airlines tragedy continues to dominate the headlines, the authorities at Libya’s Mitiga Airport have temporarily suspended flights due to the presence of drones in the area. The director of the Tripoli airport, Lutfi Al-Tabib, said the decision was made after depicting a drone flying at 1 500m in the vicinity, which could endanger civilian aircraft. The Libyan Observer reports that arriving flights were redirected. A similar incident occurred at the same airport last week.

Meanwhile, US-based Culmen International has been awarded a grant to implement the Libya Airport and Aviation Security Programme at three airports. The Libyan Observer reports that the company, operating in in over 100 countries on six continents, said the grant was given by the Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism. According to the company, it will be responsible for increasing Libyan airports' security, their capacity to monitor terrorist threats, screen against terrorist transit, and develop standard operating procedures to mitigate such threats. ‘Given the centrality of Libya's civilian airports to many recent conflicts, and their vulnerability to terrorism, a clear and urgent need has emerged for innovative ideas to improve the security of Libya's airports consistent with international standards,’ the company said in a statement.