Country
Location
Name
ICAO
IATA
Libya
Al Bayda
La Abraq/(el) Beida
HLLQ
LAQ
Libya
Benghazi
Benina
HLLB
BEN
Libya
Ghat
Ghat
HLGT
GHT
Libya
Hon
Hon
HLON
HUQ
Libya
Kufra
Kufra International
HLKF
AKF
Libya
Marsa Brega
Marsa Brega
HLMB
LMQ
Libya
Misurata
Misurata
HLMS
MRA
Libya
Sebha
Sebha
HLLS
SEB
Libya
Tripoli
Mitiga
HLLM
MJI
Libya
Tripoli
Tripoli International HLLT
TIP
Libya
Zwara
Zuwarah
HLZW
WAX
Table 3-1 The Libyan airports (Source: LYCAA)
Tripoli airport
International Airport
Benghazi airport
International Airport
Sabha airport
International Airport
Koufra airport
International
Ghat airport
International
Ghdames airport
Civil airport
Zwara airport
Internal
Labreq airport
International
Meateqa airport
Air Force Civil International Airport
Martuba airport
Air Force Civil Internal Airport
Houn airport
Air Force Civil Internal Airport
Tuobreq airport
Air Force Civil International Airport
Sarer airport
Air Force Civil Internal Airport
Mesrata airport
Air Force Civil International Airport
Table 3-2: Libyan airport names and their categories (Source: LYCAA)
3.9.1-
Tripoli Airport – Libya Case Study 1Tripoli International Airport (IATA) TIP /– HLLT ICAO (HLLT) is an international airport that serves Tripoli, Libya. It is operated by the Civil Aviation and Meteorology Bureau of Libya and is the nation's largest airport. It is located in the town of Ben Ghashir 24 kilometres (15 miles) south of the city centre of Tripoli. The airport is a hub for Libyan Airlines, Afrigyah and Buraq Air.
With the closure of the National Terminal as part of the construction of the new airport, all flights, international and domestic, leave the airport from the main International Passenger Terminal. The terminal capacity is 3 million passengers a year. The airport handled 2.1 million passengers in 2007 and over 3 million passengers in 2008 (Gavlak, Dale 2010).
Two new terminals were due to be built which would bring the total capacity of the airport to 20 million. The first new terminal was due to open by March 2011 (Endress, Gunter 2008). But this terminal has not opened yet because of the civil war that is going on now.
Transport to and from Tripoli city centre usually involves taking a taxi or sharing a taxi. Tour operators offer coaches to and from the airport connecting it with numerous hotels in the city centre.
The airport has one main passenger terminal that serves international and domestic departures and arrivals. Check-in and arrival facilities for domestic flights are in the same building as the international terminal but in a different area. The terminal hall is a five-story building with an area of 33,000 square meters (360,000 sq. ft.) and is capable of handling three million passengers annually. Check-in facilities are all located on the ground floor. The departure gates are located on the floor above as is also the duty-free section. Additionally, there is a prayer room and a first-class lounge which serves business class passengers and passengers in classes above business class for almost all the airlines operating from the airport.
The airport operates 24 hours a day. There is no overnight accommodation at the airport but there are plans to build an airport hotel to serve passengers who are in transit. A restaurant can be found on the fourth floor of the international terminal.
The airport's cargo-handling facilities include cranes, heavy fork lifts, roller pallet lifts and conveyor belts. There is twenty-four-hour fire protection at the airport with 112 trained personnel working at the fire station.
In September 2007 the Libyan government announced a project to upgrade and expand the airport. The eventual total cost of the project, contracted to a joint venture between Brazil's Odebrecht, TAV Construction of Turkey, Consolidated Contractors Company of Greece and Vinci Construction of France, was to have been LD2.54 billion (US$2.1 billion) (Gavlak, Dale 2010).
The project was to construct two new terminals at the airport (an East Terminal and a West Terminal) on either side of the existing International Terminal. Each of the new terminals was to have been 162,000 square metres (1,740,000 sq ft) in size, and collectively they would have had a capacity of 20 million passengers and a parking lot for 4,400 vehicles. The French company, Aéroports de Paris Engineering, designed the terminals which were expected to serve 100 aircraft simultaneously(LYCAA. Retrieved 1 November 2006).
Location: 15 miles (24km) in the town of Ben Ghashir south of the city centre of Tripoli, Libya
Commercial Opening: 1956 Terminals: 1
Operational Hours: 24-hours all year round Runways: Two
Libyan Rating (By Passengers): 1st Employment (Site): 987
Key Players: Operated by the the Civil Aviation and Meteorology Bureau of Libya Owners: Civil Aviation and Meteorology Bureau of Libya Libyan government Traffic: Passengers: 3 million a year (Libyan Civil Aviation Authority, 2011).
3.9.2-
Benghazi Airport – Libya Case Study 2Benghazi (Benina) International Airport (IATA: BEN, ICAO: HLLB) serves Benghazi, Libya. It is located in the town of Benina, 19 kilometres (12 miles) east of Benghazi, from which it takes its name. The airport is operated by the Civil Aviation and Meteorology Bureau of Libya and is the second largest in the country after Tripoli international Airport. Benina International is also the secondary hub of both Buraq Air and the flag carrier, Libyan Airlines (Libyan CAA, 2011).
A new terminal with a capacity of 5 million passengers will be developed north of the existing runway at Benina International (Benghazi) under a 720 million LYD (€415 million) first-stage contract awarded to Canada's SNC-Lavalin. The final cost is estimated at 1.1 billion LYD (€630 million). As with Tripoli International Airport, the new terminal was designed by Aéroports de Paris Engineering. Preliminary work and site preparation has started, but it remains unclear as to when the terminal will be open for operation (Endress, Gunter 2008). The contract for Benina International Airport includes the construction of a new international terminal, a runway and the apron. The new airport is part of an extensive new infrastructure programme being undertaken by the government of Libya throughout the country, but nowadays the project are delayed because of the country situation.
Code: (IATA) TIP /– HLLB ICAO (HLLB) Commercial Opening: 1958
Terminals: 1
Operational Hours: 24-hours all year round Runways: Two
Libyan Rating (By Passengers): 2nd Employment (Site): 634
Key Players: Operated by the CA and Meteorology Bureau of Libya Owners: The Civil Aviation and Meteorology Bureau of Libya, Libyan government Traffic: Passengers: 1.2 million a year (Libyan CAA, 2011).