Afriqiyah Airways in Crisis: Grounded Fleet and Employee Protests Spark Calls for Immediate Government Action

Libya’s flagship carrier, Afriqiyah Airways, lies in the center of worsening crisis, encompassing economic mismanagement, operating failure, and widespread staff unrest. Up to July 2025, the airline has had nearly all of its fleet grounded, and only two Boeing 737s have remained in service, which are prone to technical failure due to unsafe maintenance and unpaid insurance fees. This situation reflects the severe economic pressure which Afriqiyah Airways has been experiencing, furthermore intensified by allegations of economic mismanagement and embezzlement in its management.

The crisis came to a head on July 6, 2025, when employees, supported by union leaders, staged a peaceful protest in Tripoli, demanding the immediate suspension of the current board of directors. Workers are accusing the board of years of administrative corruption, questionable financial expenditures, and attempts to sell company assets without proper transparency. One of the most controversial allegations involves the lease of an unqualified Jordanian aircraft for $1.6 million and the misallocation of $21 million from Turkish Airlines that went towards unauthorized expenses outside the airline’s agreed maintenance plans.

Financial Mismanagement and Unanswered Questions

The allegations against Afriqiyah Airways’ leadership are serious, and the unrest among employees is only growing. Union leaders and workers have pointed to multiple questionable transactions involving large sums of money, including the lease of the Jordanian aircraft and the unexplained $21 million transfer from Turkish Airlines, both of which are cited as examples of poor financial management and lack of accountability.

The unions have demanded an independent investigation into these transactions and other financial violations, urging Libya’s Prime Minister and the Minister of Transportation to intervene. They are calling for the dissolution of the Libyan Afriqiyah Airways Holding Company, advocating for the airline to be placed directly under government supervision to ensure proper oversight and reform. This demand is not only about the immediate survival of Afriqiyah Airways, but also about securing the livelihoods of more than 1,600 families who rely on the airline for employment.

The grounding of Afriqiyah Airways’ fleet has led to operational paralysis, with most routes either canceled or indefinitely suspended. The damage to the airline’s reputation is also a major concern, with passengers left stranded or forced to find alternative carriers, while the airline struggles to restore any semblance of normalcy. The flight disruptions also threaten to disrupt Libya’s already fragile tourism industry, which depends on international connections for both leisure and business travelers.

The Demand for Immediate Reform

Amid the turmoil, employees and union leaders are united in their calls for swift action. They have made it clear that without urgent reforms, Afriqiyah Airways could face a total shutdown, which would devastate the airline’s staff and have a severe economic impact on Libya’s aviation sector. The unions have demanded that Libya’s government take immediate control of the airline’s operations, dismantling the current leadership and instating a new, transparent board of directors to restore accountability.

The Libyan Prime Minister and the Minister of Transportation have yet to comment publicly on the protests, but the unions are adamant that government intervention is crucial if the airline is to have any chance of survival. They have warned that without swift intervention and restructuring, Afriqiyah Airways will continue its decline into insolvency, leaving thousands of employees and their families without a source of income.

The collapse of Afriqiyah Airways would also have serious ripple effects throughout Libya’s aviation industry, which is already struggling due to the political instability and economic challenges the country has faced for years. The loss of Afriqiyah Airways, one of the last remaining state-owned carriers in the region, would create a significant gap in Libyan and North African aviation, leaving travelers with fewer options and potentially increasing costs across the board.

The Need for a Government-Supported Restructuring Plan

The central issue here is not just about the airline’s immediate financial difficulties, but about a larger systemic problem in Libya’s state-owned enterprises. Many of these organizations, including Afriqiyah Airways, have long been plagued by inefficiency, lack of transparency, and financial mismanagement. These issues have been compounded by years of political instability, which has left many of these institutions vulnerable to corruption and misuse of funds.

The Libyan government’s role in overseeing and restructuring Afriqiyah Airways will be critical to determining whether the airline can recover. The unions’ demands for the dissolution of the holding company and direct government supervision are not just about fixing the airline’s immediate financial woes but are also about bringing transparency and accountability to Libya’s aviation industry as a whole.

The Broader Economic Impact

If Afriqiyah Airways were to collapse, the economic ramifications would extend beyond just the airline’s employees and its passengers. Afriqiyah Airways is a vital player in Libya’s aviation infrastructure, connecting the country to international markets and providing essential services within North Africa. The airline’s financial collapse would not only disrupt domestic and regional air travel, but it would also be a major blow to Libya’s economy, especially its tourism and business sectors, which rely on stable and affordable air travel.

The Libyan government would face immense pressure to intervene and prevent the complete collapse of Afriqiyah Airways. In doing so, it would need to balance the immediate need for financial aid and restructuring with long-term reforms to ensure the airline’s future viability and prevent further corruption.

Looking Ahead: Can Afriqiyah Airways Recover?

While Afriqiyah Airways experiences this crisis, its future lies in limbo. How the government responds to the current demonstrations, including its plans for initiating the necessary reforms, will determine if there will be a return for Afriqiyah Airways or not. There still exists a possibility of rebuilding for the airline, but this comes at a price of drastic changes in management, restructuring of finances, and governmental regulation in order to restore public confidence and salvage the airline.

For Afriqiyah Airways, forthcoming months will be critically important in shaping its future in North Africa’s highly competitive and unstable aviation market. Without prompt intervention by the government, however, the airline will be facing a highly likely situation of becoming one more victim of Libya’s present economic and political crisis.

(Source: Afriqiyah Air.)