Muammar Gaddafi’s plane was returned to Libya on Sunday after spending a decade outside the country.
For ten years, the Airbus A340 remained in France, where it was transferred for maintenance in 2011 after the assassination of the Libyan leader by NATO supported insurgents which in turn plunged the African country into a prolonged civil war.
The plane was received by the Libyan Prime Minister , Abdul Hamid Dbeibéh, in the National Government of Unity. Before landing at Mitiga International Airport on the outskirts of Tripoli, the presidential plane flew low over the city and its historic landmarks.
Dbeibéh confirmed that “Libya returned the plane from France, where it had been kept for financial and technical reasons, after the completion of maintenance and payment of all funds owed. “
According to the high office, the return of the ship, which was known as the ‘flying palace’, represents a “positive and important step for the country and its well-being”.
The Prime Minister added that the people will decide what to do with the Airbus A340, which could continue to be assigned to the head of state, transferred for government needs or modified for civilian use.
Dbeibé expressed hope that 12 Libyan aircraft currently abroad, as well as two fighters, will be returned to the country. “The government is working on it,” he said.