Get 40% Off
⚠ Earnings Alert! Which stocks are poised to surge?
See the stocks on our ProPicks radar. These strategies gained 19.7% year-to-date.
Unlock full list

Tunisia closes airspace to western Libya for security reasons

Published 03/24/2015, 08:25 AM
Updated 03/24/2015, 08:30 AM
Tunisia closes airspace to western Libya for security reasons

TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisia has again closed its airspace for flights from western Libya, an official said on Tuesday, just days after allowing Libyan planes from Tripoli back for the first time in around six months.

"We've suspended temporarily again Libya flights for security reasons," the transport ministry official said, without elaborating.

The moves come after militants killed 20 foreign tourists in an attack on the national museum in Tunis last week. Tunisian officials say the two gunmen had been trained at a jihadist camp in Libya, where Islamic State has made inroads.

Tunisia is worried violence will spill over from Libya, where two rival governments fight for control four years after the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi.

Libyan airlines had been allowed only since last week to resume flights to Tunis from Tripoli and other airports in western Libya outside the control of the official government.

The internationally recognized administration has been based in the east since losing control of Tripoli in August when an armed group seized the capital and parts of western Libya.

Flights from Tunis to eastern Libya have never stopped.

Tunisia is the lifeline for many Libyans seeking to escape violence or travel abroad. Foreign airlines and embassies have mostly withdrawn from Libya for security reasons. The few foreign connections from Libyan airlines are often booked out for weeks.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.