Libya Eubam Takes Tender

EUBAM Libyas charter service flew its maiden flight in November 2021 and will soon be approaching its 100th return journey between Tunisia and Libya. As Alvaro Sosa EUBAMs Movement Control Officer who was himself a pilot explains the flight was conceived in order to provide a flexible and predictable tool for security operational and economic reasons. As such the service provides not just a dedicated means of transport for Mission members running two return flights a week between Tripoli and Tunis but also the ability to visit other areas within the Missions mandated operational area as well as an important possible means of evacuation.The service is provided by an aircraft leasing and solutions company that delivers aviation services to humanitarian governmental and oil and gas clients. With 25 years in the market the company has experience across the continent of Africa as well as working in specific contexts such as conflict zones and currently has more than 20 contracts world-wide. Prior to the existing service EUBAM had relied on a mixture of contracts using a small six-seater plane from 2016-19 then from 2020 the Mission had an agreement with the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service. According to Sosa Since 2019 we started to think about a system that would be predictable for Mission Members so we researched the market looking at different companies and planes bearing in mind the mission was growing a small six-seater was not going to be enough for an airbridge. We would instead need to go for a turboprop.The Turboprop in question is a Beechcraft 1900. The 19-seater plane is capable of flying at 460kmhr usually cruises at 25000 feet with an endurance of 6 hrs and relies on 1300 horsepower engines. Captain Bradley Geddes describes the Beechraft as a lovely to fly robust can do airplane thats why its so successful in this kind of arena. Both Geddes and first officer Shane Cambridge have flown routes into Libya before flying the same route is like playing poker the same cards but never the same hand and this is a lovey route over the Mediterranean. For Mission members who want to make the most of the views the crew say on a clear day they can see Malta and even Mt Etna which theyve witnessed erupting in the distance on previous journeys.While primarily conceived as a mission flight seats on the service are also available to all EU actors linked to the Libyan context including EU Member States embassies in Tripoli or Tunis the EU Delegation and other EU institutions.