Air & sea

The national air carrier is Libyan Arab Airlines, but air travel itself has been extremely difficult for several years.

Many foreign airlines do not visit Tripoli, either for political or commercial reasons, and in April 1992, a ban on air traffic to Libya was imposed by the UN, as a result of Libya's alleged involvement in the 1988 Lockerbie air disaster.

Travellers wishing to enter Libya while the embargo still holds are advised to do so by land frontier from Tunisia or Egypt, or by sea on the regular ferry run from Malta. Ferries are often extremely crowded, however, and conditions aboard are of a low standard.