Libya's Afriqiyah Airways suspends flights following airport attack

IANS  |  Tripoli 

Libya's state-owned on Monday suspended all flights after heavy clashes damaged a number of its airplanes.

"As a result of the clashes at M'etiga international airport, we regret to inform you that our aircraft fleet (five airplanes, including a cargo plane) has suffered great damage.

This damage, unfortunately, prevents the fleet from flying again." said in a press release, reported.

The company said that flights from Misurata and M'etiga airports are suspended until further notice, including regular scheduled flights.

closed Tripoli's on Monday morning, following a heavy attack by an group that killed 16 people and injured 48 others, including civilians.

The UN-backed government issued a statement condemning the attack, saying it "threatened the lives of travellers, nearby residents and the safety of air traffic."

The airport witnessed frequent clashes and attacks, most recently in October 2017.

However, Monday's attack is the most violent one the airport has witnessed so far, as gunmen attacked the air hub and the prison inside it, where hundreds of terrorists have been detained over the past few years.

--IANS

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First Published: Tue, January 16 2018. 06:16 IST