Buraq Air

For the similarly named Indonesian airline, see Bouraq Indonesia Airlines.
Buraq Air
البراق
IATA
UZ		 ICAO
BRQ		 Callsign
BURAQAIR
Founded 2001
Focus cities Benghazi (Benina International Airport)
Fleet size 11
Destinations 7
Headquarters Mittiga International Airport
Tripoli, Libya
Key people Mohamed Bubeida (Chairman)
Website www.buraq.aero

Buraq Air (El-Buraq Air Transport Inc) is an airline with its headquarters on the grounds of Mitiga International Airport in Tripoli, Libya.[1] It operates scheduled domestic and international services to Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Buraq also operates passenger and cargo charter services and flights in support of CHC.[2] Until recently, the airline's hub was Mitiga Airport, which, although smaller than Tripoli International Airport, is much closer to the city centre of Tripoli. Its new hub is Tripoli International.

Its name comes from the buraq, a creature on which the Islamic prophet, Muhammad is believed to have flown from Mecca to Jerusalem, and from there to the various heavens.

History

The airline was established on 22 October 2000,[3] and started operations on 15 November 2001; it is the first privately owned airline in Libya.[2] It is also known as Buraq Air Transport

As a consequence of the Libyan Civil War and the resulting no-fly zone over the country enforced by NATO in accordance with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, all flight operations with Buraq Air were terminated on 17 March 2011.[4]

Destinations

Following the Libyan Civil War, Buraq Air offers scheduled flights to the following destinations as of November 2014

City Country IATA ICAO Airport Refs
Istanbul TurkeyISTLTBAAtatürk International Airport

Terminated destinations

These following destinations were suspended due to the Libyan civil war:

Africa
Asia
Europe

Fleet

Boeing 737-800 of Buraq Air in 2007.

The Buraq Air fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of November 2014):

Type Number Notes Registration
Boeing 737-800 1 5A-DMG
Boeing 737-400 1 On September 2014 back from Malta after maintenance 5A-WAC
Airbus A320-200 1 Leased from Kyrgyzstan's S Group International EX-32004

A preliminary agreement has been reached with Boeing on the purchase of up to 6 Boeing 737-800 aircraft (3 orders and 3 options). Confirmation was made for the acquisition of two of the aircraft of which one was delivered in October, and the second in November 2006. The order for the third aircraft was finalized in September 2006. It had added 2 de Havilland Canada DHC-8 in service today. It also had 4 Boeing 737-400 aircraft in service today.

One of the aircraft B737-800 has been damaged 5A-DMH and it is grounded this moment

Libyan civil war

Buraq air was grounded during the Libyan Civil War. As of 25 August 2011, at least two 737-800s were still visible on the tarmac of Tripoli International Airport. No Buraq Air planes have been reported damaged or destroyed.

Accidents and incidents

References

  1. ↑ "Company Profile." Buraq Air. Retrieved on 14 May 2010. "The company headquarters are located at Mittiga International Airport in Tripoli - Libya."
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-03-27. p. 90.
  3. ↑ http://www.quryna.com/detail.php?a_idx=3302 (in Arabic)
  4. ↑ United Nations. "Security Council Approves ‘No-Fly Zone’ over Libya, Authorizing ‘All Necessary Measures’ to Protect Civilians, by Vote of 10 in Favour with 5 Abstentions".
  5. ↑ http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20130417-0

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Buraq Air.