On Tuesday, Turkish air traffic controllers lost contact with a private plane carrying the Libyan chief of general staff and four other people. The plane was heading from Turkey to the capital of Libya. Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya also confirmed the news of the NTV television station about the loss of contact with this plane. TASR informs about it according to AP, AFP and Reuters reports.
“Contact was lost at 20:52 local time (18:52 CET) with a private Falcon 50 aircraft with registration 9H-DFJ that departed from Esenboga Airport in Ankara towards Tripoli at 20:10 local time (18:10 CET),” the interior minister said on the X network. According to him, there were five passengers on board, including General Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad.
Yerlikaya clarified that the plane signaled an emergency landing near the Haymana district south of Ankara before losing contact. Reuters notes that while officials have not confirmed a plane crash, Turkish media released footage of what appeared to be an explosion over Haymana. The Libyan general was in Turkey for meetings with local officials. They closed the airport in the capital and diverted several flights, NTV reported. Libya did not immediately comment on the situation.
