Airports in Libya | Largest Libyan Airports

Largest Airports in Libya

Marcopolis.net presents largest airports in Libya.

Libya’s civil war in 2011 has crippled the country’s transportation sector. Prior to the revolution Libya was on track to modernize its infrastructure and airports.  There are about 26 airports in Libya of which 3 are international.

A multi-billion dollar makeover was taking place at Libya’s airports. From 2012, passengers passing through the new Tripoli International Airport were supposed to be protected from the sun by a roof comprising a series of overlapping steel curves.

Designed to cope with up to 20 million travelers per year, the monumental project is intended to turn the airport into an air transport hub, ideally placed for connections to Europe and African countries.

It will comprise two terminal buildings (each with an area of 175,000 square metres), 48 lifts, 26 elevators, 160 check-in counters, 12 baggage handling carousels and 32 fixed and 64 mobile passenger boarding bridges. A consortium, composed of Turkey’s TAV Construction, the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht and Lebanon’s Consolidated Contractors Company, is building the new airport at an estimated cost of $1.3 billion.

A new international airport is also being built on a greenfield site near Benghazi, Libya’s second largest city. Benina International Airport, which is being constructed by Canada’s SNC-Lavalin Group, will have the capacity to welcome five million passengers per year. Sabha International Airport in central Libya is also getting a new terminal.

Largest Airports in Libya

Tripoli International Airport
Tripoli International Airport (airport code TIP) is located in 34 kilometers south of central Tripoli, Libya. The airport has two terminals, National and International, however, the National Terminal has been closed for new construction and all flights are being handled by the International Terminal. With an estimated 3 million passengers each year, the airport has 13 airlines serving Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

Benina International Airport
Benina International Airport is located in the town of Benina, 19 km 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 flag carrier, Libyan Airlines.

A new terminal with a capacity of 5 million passengers will be developed north of the existing runway at Benina International 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).

 Shorooq & Ground Handling Services
Shorooq Handling & Ground Services (SHGS) is the first ground handling Company in the Libya. It gained the trust from its customers and clients through their services at all Libyan Airports.

The company serves more than 50 clients, including commercial, charter, regular airlines in Libya, private, ambulance, military & cargo flights efficiently with the help of a highly trained staff.  

Largest Airports in Libya

 Libyan Civil Aviation Authority
The Libyan Civil Aviation Authority is the body responsible for the organization of the work of air transportation, the inspection of national airlines and foreign airlines in Libya, the issuing of permits landing and transit of military aircraft, the representation of Libya in international organizations, the study of international treaties, the test pilot system, the registration of civil aircraft, aircraft accident investigation, the issuing of licenses to conduct flight instruction, the coordination of services search and rescue, and the granting of licenses for the establishment of airports and proposal to set fees for services provided to others. The LCAA was established in 1955 under the name Aviation Authority of Libya, which represents the legitimate authority in all forums and in front of bodies and local and international organizations in the field of civil aviation.