Morocco Cracks Down on Air Traffic Controller Protests Disrupting Flights

The authorities are determined to put an end to the anarchic practices that have accompanied the social movements initiated in recent days by the air traffic controllers. They have recently obstructed air navigation and safety by preventing planes from taking off or landing at Mohammed V Airport. The National Airports Office (ONDA) was then forced to call on the Royal Air Force (FRA) for help. A total of 67 air traffic controllers were made available to ONDA. Some have covered, from the Regional Air Traffic Safety Control Center located at Agadir Airport, the entire southern part of the kingdom’s airspace.

Following this episode, the government, meeting in a cabinet meeting on May 19 in Rabat, adopted a draft decree providing that students of the Mohammed VI International Academy of Civil Aviation who are undergoing training in "air traffic control" and "electronic air traffic safety" will also undergo military training, reports the Arabic-language daily Al Akhbar. They will therefore have the status of reserve military personnel of the Royal Armed Forces and will be prohibited from joining a political party or a trade union. They will be subject to Law 108-13 on military justice.