Afriqiyah Airways issued a statement to clarify the facts surrounding a video circulated on social media platforms showing an Airbus A330 being disassembled at Hamburg Airport in Germany. The airline confirmed the aircraft was the one registered as 5A-ONP, which sustained devastating damage during the Libya Dawn war events in 2014, leading to its withdrawal from service just one year after joining the fleet in 2013.
In a related context, the statement revealed that the company’s former administration executed a deal in 2023 to sell the aircraft as scrap to Libyan Airlines for $3 million. This transaction was rejected by the current management, which labelled it as failing to meet the “economic interest” of the national carrier. Consequently, the current administration cancelled the contract and retrieved all parts of the aircraft to be used as spare components, aiming to bolster the company’s inventory and ensure the continuity of its fleet operations.
The company further explained that the aircraft was transferred to Germany in 2016 for maintenance purposes but remained grounded there because the necessary budget was not transferred. Although the current management, following Chairman Ahmed Lamin’s assumption of duties, contacted the Presidency of the Government of National Unity and secured preliminary approval for allocating approximately €40 million for its repair, the funds never arrived from the relevant authorities, resulting in the entire plan to return it to service being frozen.
Finally, Afriqiyah Airways stressed its commitment to absolute transparency and the protection of the company’s assets and resources. The airline warned against following misleading information or rumours promoted by entities that previously held positions within the company, affirming that it will take all legal action against anyone attempting to tarnish the national carrier’s reputation.