Sabena Boeing 747s with four-engined Airbus A340. After the liberalisation of the airline industry throughout Europe and the economic consequences of the Gulf War, the Belgian government, the main shareholder of the company, realized that Sabena had little chance of surviving on its own in this very competitive market, and began searching for a suitable partner. Sabena remained in a poor financial state, and year after year the Belgian government had to cover losses, however, it was however prevented from providing new funds due to EU State Aid rules. Around 1987, SAS tried to merge with the carrier, but the merger
Libyan Airlines over the country, imposed in 1983, was still in force, and Libyan Arab Airlines sought alternative manufacturers to acquire new aircraft for re-fleeting. In the meantinme, an Airbus A310 leased from Air Djibouti enabled Libyan Arab Airlines to expand services to the Middle East and North Africa, and Airbus A320s were on wet-lease from TransAer. Amman became the first non-domestic destination to be served again. Fleet and route network grew further when regional carrier Air Jamahiriya was merged into Libyan Arab Airlines in 2001. In 2006, the airline was renamed "Libyan Airlines". The airline pursues an expansion policy, which is