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Tunisian airlines cancel flights to Libyan cities

July 16, 2014 at 9:41 am

Government owned Tunisian Airlines has canceled all flights to the Libyan cities of Tripoli and Misrata for security reasons, the company said in a statement yesterday.

“The airline canceled flights to Tripoli and Misrata, Libya, as of Tuesday until further notice, for security reasons,” the statement said.

The Tunisian Ministry of Transport decided, on Sunday, to suspend travel to Tripoli after the Libyan authorities closed its airspace.

On Sunday, Tunisia hosted the third meeting of ministers from Libya’s neighbouring countries: Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Sudan, Chad and Niger. The conference lasted two days, however the Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdel Aziz was unable to attend due to the closure of his country’s airspace.

Sunday evening brought with it fighting between militias and the Libyan armed forces in the vicinity of Tripoli Airport.

According to reports, nine people were killed in the clashes near the airport. The UN reduced the number of its employees in Libya following the increase in violence.