By Libya Herald staff
Tripoli, 7 May 2014:
Benghazi's Benina Airport was brought to a near standstill this morning after a fight yesterday in which an airport employee had his tooth broken. Fellow employees at Shorooq Handling and Ground Services mounted a protest which put stop to several airlines' operations.
The dispute started yesterday, the Libya Herald has been told, when a close family member of a prominent member of in security at the airport tried to use his connections (wasta) to obtain a boarding pass from Shorooq for a flight. When the request was refused, a physical altercation ensued which resulted in a broken tooth for a Shorooq employee. Today, fellow staff stopped working in protest over the incident. Broken teeth, damaged eyes and ears are traditionally a grave matter in Libya.
Flights for four airlines serviced by Shorooq were delayed: Tunisair, Afriqiyah Airlines, Royal Jordanian and Libyan Airlines. Buraq was not affected because it uses a different handling company.
Flights were later resumed. “The problem was resolved amicably,” stated airport manager Osama Farkash.