Libyan Airways

Early years

The carrier traces its roots back to September 1964 (1964-09) when Kingdom of Libya Airlines was set up in conformity with law no. 22. The airline was government-owned, having an initial investment of LYD 2 million. It began operations in August 1965 (1965-08), flying regional routes with Sud SE-210 Caravelle aircraft. Following the carrier starting services along the Tripoli–Benghazi run, the Libyans prevented foreign companies that also flew the route from operating there in order to allow the national airline to expand. Absorbing Libavia and United Libya Airlines operations, international flights radiating from Benghazi and Tripoli began in October 1965 (1965-10), initially serving Athens, Cairo, London, Malta, Paris, Rome and Tunis.

The early years saw Air France providing the company with technical assistance, KLM managing the sales and reservations, and BOAC taking care of traffic, finance and communications. In March 1966 (1966-03), the airline and ATI struck an agreement for the lease of Fokker F27 aircraft to cover short-haul routes, with the agreement coming into effect on 15 June the same year. A third Caravelle was ordered in 1968. That year, a study to increase the airline's productivity was carried out by TWA, concluding that operating with five three-engined, 138-seater jet aircraft, and four propeller-powered 60-seater aircraft would be the most suitable choice. The report concluded that the lease of the turboprop F-27s was too costly, and the airline decided to acquire two new aircraft from Fokker in 1969. Regarding the jet aircraft, the Boeing 727 and the Trident were the only options.

From the Libyan revolution (1969) to the Libyan Civil War (2011)

Following the 1969 coup d'état, the airline was renamed Libyan Arab Airlines, or Jamahiriya Libyan Air Lines, on 1 September that year. The company suspended its operations for two weeks after the coup. With Beirut and Geneva already being part of the route network by March 1970 (1970-03), nine international destinations were already served. In August 1970 (1970-08), Libyan Arab Airlines ordered two Boeing 727-200s for US$14 million. These two aircraft were part of the fleet by May 1971 (1971-05), along with three Caravelles and two Fokker F27s. Six Fokker F27s—four Mk600s and two Mk400s—were purchased in April 1974 (1974-04), and in May the same year, three additional Boeing 727-200s were ordered, aimed at replacing the Caravelles. In 1975, Libyan Arab Airlines was made the only operator within the country. Furthermore, the government committed to cancel their debts with the company on a monthly basis, and any losses the airline would incur should be compensated by the state. Also in 1975, the six F27s ordered the previous year were delivered, and the three-strong Boeing 727 order was partly fulfilled when two of these aircraft were incorporated into the fleet. By April 1976 (1976-04), there were 12 aircraft in the fleet, including four Boeing 727s, four Fokker F27-600s, two Fokker F27-400s, and two Falcon 20s; a Boeing 727-200 and a Boeing 737 were pending delivery. Two more Boeing 727s were acquired in May 1976 (1976-05); in August that year, the carrier took delivery of a Boeing 707-320C to be used by the government. The airline had 1,800 employees at April 1977 (1977-04); at this time, passenger and cargo flights radiating from Benghazi, Tripoli and Sebha to Athens, Algiers, Beirut, Cairo, Casablanca, Damascus, Jeddah, Khartoum, London, Malta, Paris, Rome, Tunis and Zürich were operated. During the year, the Tripoli–Frankfurt–Athens–Tunis–Casablanca and Benghazi–Rome–London routes were launched.

The handover of two Boeing 727-200 Advanced aircraft, due to be delivered in June and July 1978 (1978-07), was blocked due to concerns that Libya was supporting terrorism. Despite the US State Department initially authorising the acquisition of three Boeing 747s and two Boeing 727s in March the following year, the transaction was blocked in mid-1979 over concerns the Libyan government would use the aircraft to transport military material and personnel, as there were suspicions that Libya played a role in the deposition of Idi Amin in Uganda. Also in 1979, a cargo subsidiary named Libyan Arab Air Cargo was set up. During the year, Madrid, Moscow, Sofia and Warsaw were included in the airline's list of destinations.

By mid-1980, the number of employees had grown to 2,500, and Amman, Belgrade, Cotonou, Istanbul and Niamey were added to the route network; later that year, Karachi was incorporated as a destination. In May 1981 (1981-05) Libyan Arab Airlines ordered eight 44-seater Fokker F27-600s in a deal worth more than £17 million. Ten Airbuses—six A300s and four A310s—were ordered in October the same year. At that time, Airbuses were equipped either with General Electric (GE) or Pratt & Whitney (P&W) powerplants, but the airline ordered Rolls-Royce engines to power them—something that had not been done before, as the former two were manufactured in the United States. There was a ban in force on providing Libya with technology that could possibly have military uses.