Morocco Expands Air Control in Western Sahara, Challenging Spanish Authority

According to sources cited by the newspaper El Independiente, Morocco would already control between 15 and 20% of the airspace of the former Spanish colony, managed from the Canary Islands.

This expansion is notably taking place through air exclusion zones, officially intended for military exercises. A situation that, gradually, redraws the maps and questions the Spanish management of this space. Although the Sahara has been under Moroccan administration for 48 years, its airspace remains, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization, under the control of the Canary Islands.

Until now, the Canarian air traffic controllers ensured the monitoring and management of flights in the region. However, in addition to the exclusion zones established by Morocco, there are difficulties in communicating with local airfields. Unilateral changes have also been made to the names and call signs of the region’s airports.

Morocco is accused of having unilaterally established four zones qualified as dangerous in the airspace under the responsibility of the Canaries. These zones are activated and deactivated without any coordination with the Canaries air traffic control center. A situation that raises questions about air traffic management.

Since 1976, incidents have multiplied in the area. In 1985, an American scientific aircraft was shot down, leading the United States to issue an international warning on the situation in the area.

In the Canaries, there are questions about the possibility that the Spanish government may consider ceding the management of air navigation services in the airspace of the Sahara to Morocco. Such an agreement could have repercussions on the Canary Islands, particularly in the tourism sector.

The Spanish government remains discreet on the progress of the discussions. Only a written response dated March 2023 acknowledges the existence of these negotiations. The declaration of April 2022, which marked a step in the diplomatic relations between the two countries, already mentioned the opening of discussions on this subject.