I travel quite a lot to countries where very few other people go. I went to Libya in April 2025. As for the flight options, the largest international airline flying there is Turkish Airlines from Istanbul (every morning plus three afternoon flights a week). ITA Airways flies from Rome, although all flights are currently shown as not available, and Egyptair flies from Cairo. There are also several Libyan airlines such as Afriquiyah Airways (Alexandria, Cairo, Istanbul, Sfax, Tunis), Berniq Airways (Alexandria, Cairo, Istanbul, Jeddah, Medina, Tunis), Buraq Air (Tunis), Ghadames Air Transport (Tunis), Fly OYA (Cairo, Dubai DWC, Istanbul, Jeddah), Libyan Airlines (Istanbul, Sfax), Libyan Wings (Amman, Istanbul, Tunis), Medsky Airways (Malta, Milan), Universal Air (Malta). None of these flights can be easily booked from Europe. Locals consider Libyan Wings to be the most reliable airline in Libya.
Tripoli Airport (TIP, 29 km south of the city centre) has been closed since 2011; Mitiga Internation Airport (MJI, 10 km to the east) has been in use since then whenever flights have been possible.
I flew the day before from Keflavík, Iceland to Amsterdam on an Icelandair B767 and from there to Istanbul on a Turkish Airlines A330; it’s very rare nowadays to fly on two widebody planes the same day within Europe. I spent the night at Isport Hotel in Arnavutköy (the town next to Istanbul Airport); this hotel was sold as a five-star on Booking although it’s a typical three-star hotel. I took then a taxi early morning to go back to the airport.
I checked in quickly; security and passport controls were also quick. Fast track was available.
A well-know luxury boutique in the middle of the terminal at Istanbul Airport; I had absolutely zero interest in it.
Istanbul Airport was very busy with 55 departures in about 45 minutes.
I went to the lounge for a short time.
It was still early morning and I was planning to have breakfast on the plane, so I just had a tea and a mint lemonade at the lounge.
Departure was from gate A11.
Priority boarding was available.
Our plane on this flight was a B737-800 with 16 recliner seats in a 2+2 configuration in four rows in the business class cabin. Load was 12/16.
Seats 1A and 1B.
Legroom is excellent and the seats are wide enough.
Individual screens are in the armrest.
Welcome drink: a mint lemonade for me.
The two cabin crew members working in the business class cabin were very friendly.
Push-back was at 08.02 for a scheduled departure time of 08.00.
The weather was foggy with low visibility but this didn't seem to delay regular flight operations. Take-off was at 08.27 from runway 35R.
As usual with Turkish Airlines, meal service came quickly, about 20 minutes after take-off.
Let’s have a look at the menu:
Breakfast was tasty and good quality.
Getting closer to Africa.
The first suburbs of Tripoli.
Getting closer.
The view before landing.
We landed at 09.50 and were at our parking position at 10:00 for a scheduled arrival time of 10:05.
A lot of old planes at the airport – many of them were most likely never fly again.
These ones fly regularly. Afriquiyah was a very ambitious airlines towards the end of the Gaddafi’s time; nowadays it’s just one of the many competing Libyan airlines.
Our plane after landing.
Business class passengers were taken to the terminal by a separate bus.
Mitiga Airport, to put it mildly, is not the most beautiful airport in the world. We can say it is awaiting renovation, or maybe is just left unrenovated as everybody hopes that Tripoli Airport would open soon again.
I had all the necessary documents to get my visa on arrival, although the procedure was still quite complicated. Fortunately my local travel agent was there to help me.
My impressions of Libya
Libya, the 4th biggest country in Africa, is not the easiest place to visit. You can only get a tourist visa through a local tour company. You can go almost anywhere you want to but you can only go with a guide and a driver, and an unarmed policeman in civilian clothes will also be travelling with you. You need permits (arranged by the local tour operator) to travel to the countryside, and the police will check it at all tourist sights. It's not surprising that very few tourists visit Libya; I've only seen three other foreign tourists during my entire stay.
Is it safe to travel to Libya? Yes, it is currently, although it can change at any time. The government doesn't have complete control of the country, but the crime rate is extremely low - shop owners routinely leave their shops unattended. There are a lot of checkpoints held by various militias, although cars are usually just waved through. The biggest danger in Libya is being on the roads: traffic rules and road safety are just non-existent.
Despite all the above, there's a very relaxed feeling in the country. The last civil war ended five years ago, and people are happy to live in peace.
There's a bit of time travel in Libya. Most cars are about 20 years old, and there are almost no new public buildings. Also, I haven't seen so many people smoking for a long time.
Almost nobody in the outside world knows who the current leader of Libya is, but everyone knows who it was for 42 years: Gaddafi. But absolutely nothing reminds of him or his regime in today's Libya.
Libya could be one of the world's most popular tourist destinations. It has a sunny climate, a Mediterranean coastline of 1770 kms, world-class roman ruins such as Leptis Magna, a refreshingly authentic old town in Tripoli, fascinating old qsars (fotresses) in the mountains, and remarkably friendly, kind and polite people.
Leptis Magna, a Roman city which had its best period around AD 200 as the hometown of Emperor Septimius Severus, is an absolute highlight of any trip to Libya.
The Martyrs’ Square is the most important place in modern Libya.
A gate to the Old City.
The Old City of Tripoli
Inside a nice shop in Tripoli.
Sabratha, 70 km west of Tripoli, was also a major roman city.
A teahouse in Sabratha.
Camels on a truck.
A beautiful qsar (fortress) in the interior of the country.
A typical panoramic view.
Which fish would you like in this restaurant in Tripoli?
Or you can buy fish at the market.
The fishing harbour in Tripoli.
Thank you for reading my fliht report. Please feel free to comment.
Hi Bldavid, was waiting on this report!
What a treat it is to fly a 767 and A330 in the same day, and the next day fly to Tripoli!
Mhmmm that Mint Lemonade is delicious, always my go-to when boarding a TK flight. Seems like a decent experience all around. It’s interesting to me the routes that TK serve to the remote places in Africa on 737s. Mauritania gets it, Mogadishu, Tripoli, N’Djamena, Juba (you are planning on going there?), Asmara, and Ouagadougou. All so remote with few airlines flying to these places, but beautiful destinations.
Also interesting to see that the parked planes haven’t changed since I was there 3 months before you. I know that some widebodies are still operational such as 777 and 330 for Oya (I think it is)
To be honest, it was always the army airport. It certainly isn’t cutting edge, but it does the job. Immigration is a bit annoying though. Mohamed get you through easily?
ahahha you learnt about this as well. Rules on the road? Non-existent. Did Mohamed offer to let you drive as well? And for smoking? Yeah, everywhere. Sort of wild. It's also interesting to see the Italian side to it, as people drink 8-10 cups of coffee per day sometimes.
Thanks for this report and a very special tourism bonus. I am glad my guide I recommended worked out for you. If you ever need something for South Sudan or mainland Yemen or other regions, let me know. Would you put Libya in your top 10 for countries?
Have a nice day mate!
Hi, thanks for your detailed content. Yes, TK seems to use its newer and more valuable aircrafts on the more profitable, or we could say, more prestigious routes.
Mohamed is the most helpful, friendly, professional, informative and easygoing local agent you can wish for when you go to a country like Libya. Thanks again for your precious recommendation!
I noticed that the few new shops in Tripoli are often cafés
Yes, I'm also planning to visit Juba and N'Djamena in the near future.