Our sources revealed that after the official page speaking on behalf of the Board of Directors celebrated the arrival of A320 engines and announced that the objective was to enhance fleet readiness and return grounded aircraft to service, we were surprised today by correspondence and a draft contract concerning the lease of two CFM56-5B engines from Afriqiyah Airways to the private Libyan Wings, a competing airline.
The sources continued: At the same time, several Afriqiyah A320 aircraft remain out of service and require engines, while management is considering leasing its engines to a competitor. Has the priority become operating competitors’ aircraft while Afriqiyah’s own aircraft remain grounded?
Even more concerning, the company to which the engines are reportedly being considered for transfer is involved in an internal legal dispute over who has the right to represent it and sign on its behalf. Official correspondence warning specifically against proceeding with the engine-leasing deal with parties described in the correspondence as not legally authorized has reached Afriqiyah’s management. The correspondence also states that the sender assumes no obligations or liabilities that may arise from dealing with those parties.
The sources added: Even more strangely, the two companies already have an old file involving the loan of spare parts and financial claims worth millions that have remained unresolved for years.
The question is: How can vital assets be handed over to a competing company while previous files remain unresolved? How can engines that Afriqiyah’s own aircraft need be leased out? And who decided that the value of the lease, “if collected,” is more important than returning the company’s aircraft to the skies, restoring its routes, market position, and revenues? Is Afriqiyah Airways being managed to save it—or to manage the interests of others using its assets?
The sources concluded their statement by saying: We hold the Ministry of Transport and the holding company historically responsible for the situation our company has reached. We reiterate our call for the Attorney General, the Audit Bureau, and the Administrative Control Authority to intervene urgently and halt any final action to lease these two engines until the need of Afriqiyah’s fleet for them is firs
