The CEO of Irish Ryan Air, Michael O’Leary, said on Tuesday that the largest airline in Europe in terms of the number of passengers is in talks with the authorities in Libya regarding operating flights to the country for the first time.
Its Hungary-based rival Wizz, which flies to Egypt and Morocco, has also been expanding aggressively into the Middle East, flying 36 routes from Abu Dhabi on its Wizz Air Abu Dhabi joint venture.
“We’re talking to the Egyptians, the Libyans,” O’Leary told a Eurocontrol event, without giving any more details, Reuters has reported.
O’Leary added that Ryanair would be the first airline to return to Ukraine when it is safe to do so. Ryanair was one of the largest foreign airlines in Ukraine before it suspended all of its flights following Russia’s invasion in February.
