Flying into Tripoli International Airport offers the traveller an aerial view of Libya's pressing challenges as well as its future potential.
First the plane flies over the Mediterranean coastline, scattered with sleepy ports ringed by the hulks of Libyan warships bombed during last year's Nato campaign.
As the aircraft descends, passengers peering below see a cluster of cranes and scaffolds encasing the shell of a new terminal taking shape at the edge of the airport.
The airport lies dormant other than a few ageing planes painted in the livery of the country's two state-owned carriers, Afriqiyah Airways and Libyan Airlines.
Breathing fresh life into the transport sector is viewed as an urgent priority for Libya's interim government as it seeks to get the country back on its feet.
Getting oil shipments out of Libya's sea ports and rich investors through its airports is vital to helping kick-start the economy.
Under the late Muammar Qaddafi's 42-year rule, the country's infrastructure stagnated from neglect and under-investment.
While the interim regime is realistic about how much change can happen before a permanent government is elected, its members want to at least get started.
"We have a lot to do to tidy up our home," says Yousef El Uheshi, the interim transport minister. "Transport needs money. We are talking about billions in investment that is needed."
Activity at the ports is slowly returning again after fighting and sanctions hampered the flow of oil during the civil war to oust Qaddafi.
French warships arrived in the capital in January to help remove mines encircling the country's oil ports. The mines were placed by Qaddafi's regime to stop oil exports.
While the ports have long been used for the transport of oil, officials are keen to widen the mix of exports. That requires upgrading infrastructure and dredging the waterways to enable bigger ships to dock.
"We have to develop a new infrastructure for the sea ports, which we believe in the coming years is the future for the maritime industry," says Mr El Uheshi.
Officials are keen to learn from the port free zone model pioneered in Dubai by Jebel Ali Free Zone. Talks were held with representatives from DP World, the ports operator, who visited Libya in January. Misrata, a port to the east of Tripoli, already operates as a free zone but has been less successful at enticing foreign companies.
Although the interim government is keen to loosen the shackles of nationalisation on transport projects, it favours a gradual approach.
"It is too early to talk about privatisation, it's not something you can start straight away. We will start with a strategic partner which will serve us in the next 10 or 15 years," says Mr El Uheshi.
Opportunities are also presenting themselves in the aviation industry. Mr El Uheshi estimates at least US$8 billion (Dh29.38bn) of investment is required in the sector.
"Even before the Nato air strikes, the UN sanctions and the EU ban, Libya's aviation industry had little hope," the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation wrote in a recent analysis. As Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Cairo and other regional cities built hubs, Libya was left behind. Under Qaddafi, Libya placed little focus on its airlines and airports.
After the civil war erupted, passenger numbers plummeted by more than 1 million last year and foreign airlines cut their services. International airlines are gradually coming back as stability returns. In January, Etihad Airways launched routes between Abu Dhabi and Libya for the first time.
Afriqiyah Airways and Libyan Airlines are also back in the air. The carriers have signed agreements to borrow $1.1bn from a consortium of local banks to buy five Airbus A320 aircraft and six A350s under an order placed in 2007
In a bid to cut costs, officials hope to complete a merger of the two carriers by the first half of next year.
Work may also restart in "four to five months" on the new terminal building at Tripoli airport, says Mr El Uheshi.
In August 2007, a consortium of the Turkish airport specialist TAV, the Lebanese construction firm CCC, and Odebrecht, a Brazilian company, was awarded a contract to build two terminals with 160 check-in counters and 12 baggage handling carousels.
The investment in airports and airlines is intended to help Libya regain lost ground in the battle to create a hub and spoke model.
"We are not going to work on point A to B, it is an old-fashioned operation," Mr El Uheshi says. "We want to give a chance for our national airlines to be part of open skies and that's how you will see our airports be designed like a hub, as we want to connect east with west and north with south."
tarnold@thenational.ae
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Match info:
Manchester City 2
Sterling (8'), Walker (52')
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Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20Z%20FOLD5
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Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEjari%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYazeed%20Al%20Shamsi%2C%20Fahad%20Albedah%2C%20Mohammed%20Alkhelewy%20and%20Khalid%20Almunif%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPropTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%241%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESanabil%20500%20Mena%2C%20Hambro%20Perks'%20Oryx%20Fund%20and%20angel%20investors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
RESULTS
2.15pm Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner Shawall, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi (jockey), Majed Al Jahouri (trainer)
2.45pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Anna Bella Aa, Fabrice Veron, Abdelkhir Adam
3.15pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner AF Thayer, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
3.45pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner Taajer, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
4.15pm The Ruler of Sharjah Cup – Prestige (PA) Dh250,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner Jawaal, Jim Crowley, Majed Al Jahouri
4.45pm Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner Maqaadeer, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
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Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
