TRIPOLI, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Libya's UN-backed Ministry of Transport signed on Wednesday a 79-million-euro ($89.6 million) contract with a consortium of Italian companies to rebuild Tripoli international airport.
Hisham Abu-Shkewat, deputy minister of Transport, confirmed in a press conference that "a consortium of Italian companies will start to rebuild the airport, and the work will be done in nine months."
"The project includes a national and an international passenger lounge, as well as an integrated airport service center," Abu-Shkewat added.
Giuseppe Perrone, Italian Ambassador to Libya, said that "rebuilding the airport will be a significant step for Libyans to travel to Europe through an integrated service airport."
"Italy is striving to resume flights as soon as possible and to grant entry visas to Libyans in the coming days, in order to break its isolation due to the political divide," he added.
Libyan Prime minister Fayez Serraj landed on Monday in Tripoli international airport, the first flight arriving in the air hub since the 2014 clashes.
Tripoli international airport was almost destroyed completely in 2014 when violent clashes broke out between rival militias, creating the current political division.
