Libyan Central Bank rejected the exemption the national airlines from raising their flight ticket prices threefold starting from December, according to a Friday statement by Libyan Airlines company.
Commenting on Libyan citizens’ disapproval of raising the flight ticket prices, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Libyan Airlines Khaled Al-Tinaz said in the statement that Libyan citizens must protest the central bank’s rejection to exempt national airlines from the decision, rather than the additional fees on the tickets.
Tinaz added that the company has decided to increase the price of its flight tickets due to the recent change in the official exchange rate, and airline companies require foreign currencies to operate, namely to purchase fuel, spare parts, maintenance services, training programs for technical crews, landing fees and the transit.
He further remarked that the Libyan Airlines Company will hold talks with the decision makers to sway them from applying the new exchange rate to airline companies, or to support them to keep flight prices low.
Meanwhile, the board of directors of Afriqiyah Airways said on Friday they will pend the decision indefinitely.
In a Wednesday statement, the Libyan Airlines declared that flight tickets, including all domestic and external flights, will increase threefold starting from December.
The company explained to its customers that if they used their tickets before the date of implementation of the decision, they will not pay the difference in ticket price.
The decision of the company was widely objected by Libyan citizens who considered the increase in ticket prices exaggerated in the light of the shortage of liquidity and the high price of dollar.
