Global Airport News

Global Airport News

Irish budget airline Ryanair has been forced to alter its flights from Trapani Airport in Sicily due to the air strikes against Libya. The low-fare Irish carrier flies to and from Trapani airport in Sicily but the airport has been closed to all civilian air traffic since the offensive began against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

The airport, on the western tip of Sicily, doubles as a military base. It is located about 560 km (350 miles) from the westernmost point of Libya.

Ryanair said Trapani would be closed to civilian traffic indefinitely from Monday and that it would divert its flights to Palermo. It said 28 flights would be affected on Monday.

The move marked the first reported direct impact from the Libyan conflict on airline operations outside the country.

Eurocontrol, European air traffic control, said last week it was no longer accepting requests to fly through Libyan airspace after the United Nations Security Council backed a no-fly zone over the North African country.

Western warplanes and missiles began strikes on Saturday. Italy has moved F-16s and Eurofighter aircraft from bases in northern Italy to Trapani.