Can a Tripoli-Yaoundé air link take off without a clear aviation roadmap?

Cameroon has already set up working groups to scrutinise Tripoli’s proposal in depth, but the real question is whether the conditions for a viable air corridor are actually in place.

On 23 September 2026, Cameroon’s Minister of Transport, Jean Ernest Masséna Ngallè Bibehè, held talks with a Libyan delegation led by Adel Shawi, Chargé d’affaires at the Libyan embassy in Cameroon. The two sides discussed the possibility of opening a direct air route between their countries. The meeting raised a strategic dilemma: is Cameroon ready to commit to a new North African air corridor while the security and operational environment around Libyan aviation remains uncertain?

What Cameroon wants before any deal is signed

Cameroon’s response has been cautiously positive rather than immediately enthusiastic. The government suggested creating working groups that would bring together the relevant authorities to examine the full range of issues linked to reviving this cooperation. Both parties also agreed to step up the necessary preliminary work and identify practical ways to move the project forward.

Yaoundé has signalled that it is willing to support initiatives that could strengthen air links between the two capitals. The same logic extends to broader economic and logistics cooperation, which Cameroon sees as part of the package rather than a separate track.

A region reopening its skies while risks remain

The Libyan side has already demonstrated momentum. On 17 September 2026, the Libyan carrier MesSky operated its first direct flight between Tripoli and Paris, with a service from Benghazi also planned. That restart comes as Libya gradually reopens its airspace, even though security threats continue to weigh heavily on its aviation sector.

For Cameroon, the question is not whether Tripoli is willing, but whether the practical foundations are solid enough to justify a direct link. The working groups now being set up are expected to provide that answer.

By Marguerite Ndongo — Political and Security Analyst