La Prensa newspaper in Nicaragua has reported the arrival of a third flight departing from Libya to the capital, Managua, in less than a month, despite warnings from the United States (US) about the exploitation of civilian flights for immigrant smuggling and human trafficking activities.
The newspaper reported on Friday that a flight of Ghadames Airlines, carrying approximately 400 passengers, departed from Mitiga International Airport and arrived at Augusto C. Sandino International Airport in Managua last Tuesday, noting that the flight was not registered with the National Aviation Authority in Nicaragua.
The FlightWare flight tracking platform showed that the flight took 13 hours and 35 minutes, and departed from Mitiga International Airport in Tripoli. Boeing 777-200 is the largest aircraft of Ghadames Airlines, and it is the third to arrive in Nicaragua in less than a month.
On May 18, two flights departed from Benghazi and arrived in the capital, Managua. One of them took approximately 14 hours and 40 minutes.
Central American media reported that flights were organized from eastern Libya to Managua Airport, carrying Asian and African migrants. These flights come at a time when the US Department of Homeland Security issued, on May 15, a warning to airlines, charter flight operators, travel agents, and air service providers about how immigrant smuggling networks exploit transportation services to facilitate illegal immigration to the US via Managua. Despite the alert, intercontinental flights carrying immigrants seeking to reach the US via Managua continue to arrive in Nicaragua.
Commenting on the matter, the Director of the Center for Immigration and Economic Stability at the International Innovation Partners Organization, Manuel Orozco, said Libya was the starting point this time, not Morocco as it was before.
"This is a way to provoke the United States, and see to what extent it can overlook Nicaragua. The departure of the third civilian flight from Libya indicates that the regime in Managua continues to promote illegal immigration, to increase the burdens on the US, especially with regard to the crisis on its southern border." Orozco said.
