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Founded | 1978 | ||||||
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Ceased operations | February 2021 [1] | ||||||
Hubs | Malta International Airport | ||||||
Fleet size | 11 | ||||||
Headquarters | Safi Aviation Park, Malta | ||||||
Key people | Mohamed Dau Managing Director |
Mediterranean Aviation Company Limited, doing business as Medavia, is an Aviation Service Provider with its head office and base of operations at Safi Aviation Park, Carmelo Caruana Road, Safi, Malta. Current services include Part 145 Maintenance and Repair, Aircraft Charter Brokerage, Aircraft Operations, Ground Handling, CAMO as well as Part 21J Design Engineering.
The airline is a Maltese registered company founded in 1978. It started operations in September 1979. The organisation is an internationally accredited enterprise that primarily offers a range of aviation services namely flight operations charters with its own fleet, aircraft maintenance services and business charter brokerage. Medavia had around 170 employees as of 2007.
In late December 2012, two Medavia officials were detained in Libya in the wake of the Libyan civil war over allegations that they supported the Gaddafi regime. The allegations conflicted with other claims that they had actively supported anti-Gaddafi rebels instead, and many Libyan expats in Malta protested the detentions. [2] The officials were ultimately released without charges in the first week of 2013. [3] Medavia flights served as evacuation channels for Maltese nationals and injured people in the weeks following the commencement of the battle. [4] Medavia was the only airline with flights from Libya direct to Europe, after plans for Libyan airline Ghadames Air Transport to begin Libya-Malta routes fell through. [5] In 2014, a Medavia aircraft was damaged by unrest in Tripoli, which coalesced in the Battle of Tripoli Airport. [6] In February 2021 Medavua was rebranded Mel Air [7]
Medavia currently offers flights to Libya, flying regularly to airports such as Mitiga and Misrata. It offers regular and ad hoc charters and long-term leases as well as ACMI operations, including CRJ-1000 operations for Binter Canarias. It previously operated regular services to destinations in Italy, Croatia and Greece besides its regular flights to Libya.
The Medavia fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of June 2022): [8]
Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Passengers |
---|---|---|---|
Bombardier Dash-8 Q315 | 1 | -- | 50 |
Beechcraft 1900D | 3 | -- | 19 |
Total: | 4 |
The Medavia fleet previously also included the following aircraft (as of March 2008):
Air Malta plc is the flag carrier airline of Malta, with its headquarters in Luqa and its hub at Malta International Airport. It operates services to destinations in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
Libyan Airlines, formerly known as Libyan Arab Airlines over several decades, is the flag carrier of Libya. Based in Tripoli, it operates scheduled passenger and cargo services within Libya and to Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, the majority of which leave from Tripoli International Airport. Benina International Airport in Benghazi serves as a secondary base. Libyan Airlines also operates Hajj services. The company is wholly owned by the government of Libya.
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Afriqiyah Airways is a state-owned airline based in Tripoli, Libya. Before the 17 February 2011 revolution, it operated domestic services between Tripoli and Benghazi, and international scheduled services to over 25 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East; since the end of the war, it has been seeking to rebuild its business. Afriqiyah Airways' main base is technically Tripoli International Airport, although it has been closed since 2014 and flights are operating as much as possible from other airports.
Buraq Air is an airline with its headquarters on the grounds of Mitiga International Airport in Tripoli, Libya. It currently operates a minor international scheduled network and additional charter services and flights in support of CHC. The airline's base is Mitiga International Airport as the larger Tripoli International Airport hasn't been operational since several years.
Malta International Airport is the only airport in Malta and it serves the whole of the Maltese Islands.
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The Libyan Air Force is the branch of the Libyan Armed Forces responsible for aerial warfare. In 2010, before the Libyan Civil War, the Libyan Air Force personnel strength was estimated at 18,000, with an inventory of 374 combat-capable aircraft operating from 13 military airbases in Libya. Since the 2011 civil war and the ongoing conflict, multiple factions fighting in Libya are in possession of military aircraft. As of 2019 the Libyan Air Force is nominally under the control of the internationally recognised Government of National Accord in Tripoli, though the rival Libyan National Army of Marshal Khalifa Haftar also has a significant air force. In 2021, the air force is under command of the new President of Libya, Mohamed al-Menfi that replaced Fayez al-Sarraj.
Misrata International Airport is an international airport serving Misrata, a Mediterranean coastal city in the Misrata District of Libya. It also acts as an air base and training center for the Libyan Air Force.
Hellenic Imperial Airways was an airline which had its head office in Ellinikon, South Athens, Greece. It operated charter and scheduled flights. The company slogan was Your direct flight around the globe!
Scottish Airlines (Prestwick) Limited was formed in 1946 as a subsidiary of Scottish Aviation Limited. The airline commenced worldwide passenger and cargo charter flights from bases at Prestwick and Stansted. It also participated in the Berlin Airlift, became a trooping carrier for the British Armed Forces, and began contract flights on behalf of Air France, British European Airways (BEA), Compagnie Belge des Transports Aériens, Iceland Airways and KLM.
The Global Aviation and Services Group is a Libyan charter airline based in Tripoli and founded in 2003.
Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 1103 was a Boeing 727-2L5 with 10 crew and 147 passengers on board that collided with a LARAF Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 on 22 December 1992. All 157 people onboard flight 1103 were killed, while the crew of the MiG-23 ejected and survived. It was the deadliest aviation disaster to occur in Libya at the time.
This is a list of aviation-related events from 2011:
Libyan Wings Airlines Co JSC, or Libyan Wings, is an airline with its head office on the grounds of Mitiga International Airport in Tripoli, Libya. It started operations in September 2015 after facing delays because of political instability in Libya. As of January 2020, the airline operates four Airbus A319s to four destinations in Libya, Tunisia and Turkey.
Afriqiyah Airways Flight 209 was a domestic passenger flight from Sabha to Tripoli, Libya that was hijacked on 23 December 2016 and made a forced landing in Luqa, Malta. The flight was operated by Afriqiyah Airways, Libya's state airline, and carried 111 passengers: 82 males, 28 females and one infant. The two hijackers later released all of the hostages and surrendered to the authorities.
Air Kufra was a small Libyian charter airline. It was mainly operated out of Kufra Airport. It had only one commercial aircraft, which was leased from Buraq Air, along with a cargo aircraft, an Ilyushin Il-76TD. The airline had two bases: the main base was in Tripoli, Libya, and the other was located in Kufra Airport, Al Jawf. The airline was run by Giuma Nasir (CEO) and Abdurrazag Zaatut (COO).