Turkish Airlines to launch Benghazi-Istanbul route

Turkish Airlines will begin direct flights between Istanbul and Benghazi from 14 January, operating three weekly services on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, Turkish Airlines CEO Bilal Ekşi announced.

The expansion follows the carrier’s return to Tripoli’s Mitiga International Airport in March, ending a decade-long suspension of services to Libya.

The resumption came after agreements between Libya’s Civil Aviation Authority and Turkish Airlines.

The March inaugural flight to Tripoli was marked by senior officials including then-Turkish Ambassador Kenan Yilmaz, Turkish Civil Aviation Director General Kemal Yuksek, and Libyan Civil Aviation Director General Abdul Rahman bin Youssef.

Yilmaz described the resumption as “a historic turning point” in Turkish-Libyan relations, emphasising both countries’ commitment to developing transport links.