Morocco Seeks Control of Saharan Airspace, Challenging Spanish Authority

The airspace over the Sahara is under the control of the Spanish and Mauritanian authorities, who authorize commercial aircraft serving South America and Europe to overfly it, as well as Moroccan military aircraft carrying out operations there. This is why Morocco would like to have control of this airspace, say political sources at Ok Diario.

According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), every commercial and military aircraft transiting this area must report to the Air Traffic Control Center located at Gando Airport, where the Spanish Air Force also operates. Air traffic controllers point out that Moroccan military and fighter aircraft frequently overfly this area without informing the center.

For reasons of air traffic organization and safety, Morocco most of the time informs the Canary Islands of the presence of its aircraft over the Saharan sky. But the good or bad state of diplomatic relations between Spain and Morocco affects this collaboration. In May 2021, after the massive assault of migrants in Ceuta, Moroccan military flights ceased to report their activities in the airspace of the Sahara, explain sources from the Canarian air traffic control.

Morocco wants Spain, especially Enaire, to relinquish this air control in favor of the National Airports Office (ONDA). Mohammed VI will make this proposal to Pedro Sanchez during the high-level meeting scheduled for November, the same sources say, adding that if Spain ceded the airspace, it would thus have given the entire Sahara to Morocco, after having declared its support for the Moroccan autonomy plan for this territory in May.