Not only Leonardo, what Italy will do in Libya on defense and transport
From Aeneas which will build the Tripoli airport to ENAV which will contribute to the relaunch of civil aviation in the North African country, up to Libya's interest in Leonardo's helicopters
The visit to Tripoli by Prime Minister Mario Draghi will help accelerate cooperation between Italy and Libya and between Italian and Libyan companies in the transport sector.
But it doesn't stop there. Libya would have expressed interest not only for the purchase of helicopters from Leonardo (formerly Finmeccanica), but also for the construction of an aircraft assembly plant on its territory.
This is what Agenzia Nova learned from Libyan sources after the Prime Minister's Libyan mission.
Accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, President Draghi met on April 6 the counterpart of the National Unity Government of Libya, Abdulhamid Dabaiba, and the head of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohammed Menfi.
But preceding Drahi's visit to the Libyan capital were Aenas and ENAV.
On 5 April, a delegation from ENAV, led by CEO Paolo Simioni, and a delegation from Aenas, led by founder Elio Franci, met the Libyan Transport Minister, Muhammad Salem Al-Shahoubi, and the president of the Libyan Civil in Tripoli. Aviation Authority, Mustafa Benammar, to plan the necessary interventions to relaunch the civil aviation of the North African country. And thus favor the restoration of direct connections with Italy and Europe.
In fact, the Italian consortium Aeneas will build the international airport south of Tripoli. The scene until last year of fierce fighting between the pro-GNA forces and Khalifa Haftar's self-proclaimed Libyan National Army.
The ENAV will instead take care of training the flight controllers.
All the details.
LIBYA'S INTEREST IN LEONARDO'S HELICOPTERS
Let's start with defense, or rather the interest of the new Libyan government in Leonardo's helicopters.
Asked by Repubblica if Libya has signed contracts with Leonardo on helicopters for border control , Abdullah al Lafi, the vice president of Libya in Tripolitania, replied: “I am not aware of it. But I confirm that the most important thing for us is the support to guarantee the security of the Mediterranean and stop illegal immigration ”.
According to the Nova agency, “ the industrial project would include the assembly of Italian helicopters for operations related to territorial surveillance and emergency civilian transport in inland areas. The Libyans have been trying for some time to equip themselves with helicopters for search and rescue (SAR) and surveillance operations ”.
AT THE DISPASS OF THOSE OF AIRBUS?
Nova also pointed out that the former Minister of the Interior of the Government of Libyan National Agreement (GNA), Fathi Bashagha, had examined last October 2020, during a visit to Paris, the possibility of buying aircraft from the French company Airbus to be "used in SAR operations, the fight against illegal immigration, monitoring of the coasts and borders, to increase the capabilities and flying skills of the Libyan police". As reported in an official statement on the Facebook page of the Libyan ministry.
THE HELICOPTERS OF THE FORMER FINMECCANICA TO THE GOVERNMENT OF QADHAFI
So the Airbus helicopters set aside in favor of the Italian ones?
In this regard, the Nova Agency recalled that between 2006 and 2010 Leonardo (formerly Finmeccanica) had delivered about twenty helicopters between 109, 119 and 139 to Muammar Gaddafi's Libya.
WHAT THE ENAV WILL DO FOR LIBYAN CIVIL AVIATION
Let's now pass to the meeting of ENAV, the company that manages civil air traffic in Italy, with the Libyan authorities in the transport sector.
In a note, ENAV explained that in the coming months it will support Libyan aviation by replacing the damaged equipment of the new control tower of the Mitiga international airport in Tripoli, built by ENAV two years ago.
In particular, ENAV will supply and install technological systems for the control towers of Tripoli and Misrata International Airport and systems for the new Tripoli Area Control Center. It will also provide in-flight control and calibration services for some radio aids in the Tripoli and Misrata area.
These interventions, currently underway, are part of a development process of the Libyan airspace preparatory to the restoration of direct connections with Europe.
LIBYA STRATEGIC COUNTRY FOR ENAV
"Libya for ENAV represents a strategic country" said the CEO Simioni on the sidelines of the meeting. “Almost all the connections between Europe and equatorial Africa pass through Libya and Italy. If the Libyan airspace remains closed to international air traffic, the companies are consequently forced not to cross Italy either ". And he added: "Supporting them therefore means not only contributing to the growth of ENAV's commercial activities but also guaranteeing an air flow that relaunches connections with Europe and with Italy in particular and directly participating in the stabilization process of the country, also responding to the legitimate expectations of mobility of the Libyan people ”.
COLLABORATION SINCE 2011
In the note, ENAV recalled how the company has collaborated continuously with the Libyan authorities since 2011, also thanks to the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2016, for the training of operational personnel, modernization of the infrastructures for air navigation and aeronautical consultancy services.
CONTRACTS EQUAL TO 14 MILLION EUROS
Furthermore, in the last two years, ENAV has signed contracts with its Libyan counterpart for the modernization of infrastructures for the management of air traffic for an amount equal to approximately 14 million euros.
AENEAS WILL BUILD TRIPOLI AIRPORT
Finally, the Italian consortium Aeneas will build the Tripoli international airport. The consortium includes five private companies: Escape, Axitea, Twoseven, Lyon Consulting, Orfeo Mazzitelli.
The visit to Tripoli of the Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, is "essential for Italy-Libya relations and for all the Italian companies" that work in the North African country because "the Italian system needs an adequate political umbrella". This was stated in an interview with Aki-Adnkronos International Elio Franci, president of the Italian consortium Aeneas.
THE CONSORTIUM WON TENDER IN 2017
Regarding the airport, a contract worth 79 million, the consortium had won the tender for the reconstruction of the Tripoli international airport in 2017.
“We did all the design part, despite the well-known events in Libya we didn't stop and we delivered the executive project at the beginning of 2020, duly paid. Now we are about to issue all the orders to start the work ”.
As reported by Adnkronos , Franci is optimistic for a rapid opening of the construction site. “We have verified the site's reclamation situation and as soon as the local Ministry of the Interior will allow us to go to the site, we will send our workers to begin the excavation and the start of all the works”, concluded Franci. Furthermore, the Aeneas consortium is also in negotiations for other projects in the North African country.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/non-solo-leonardo-cosa-fara-litalia-in-libia-su-difesa-e-trasporti/ on Sun, 11 Apr 2021 15:54:48 +0000.