Remaining on the Moroccan side, a drone nevertheless manages to delay a plane in Melilla
A Moroccan drone that remained on the other side of the border delayed the landing of an Iberia flight in Melilla. Madrid is now asking Morocco to change the altitude of its surveillance aircraft to avoid further interference with commercial planes.
The incident occurred on Tuesday evening, 22 September. As an Iberia plane was preparing to land in Melilla, the control tower detected a drone operating near its approach path.
According to Guardia Civil sources consulted by RTVE, the flight had to wait before beginning its landing maneuver. The length of the delay was not specified. The control tower reported the presence of the aircraft to the Spanish security forces.
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The drone had not entered Melilla’s airspace. The Spanish government delegation confirmed that it was on the Moroccan side of the border and was carrying out a surveillance mission comparable to those conducted by the Spanish security forces in their own airspace.
Spain asks Morocco to change the altitude of its drones
Madrid asked the Moroccan authorities to adjust the flight altitude of their drones so that they would no longer interfere with commercial operations departing from or arriving in Melilla.
Aena states that the incident did not disrupt the airport’s general operations. No flights were canceled and Melilla’s airspace was not closed. The delay to the plane was reported by the Guardia Civil, with no other consequences for traffic.
The airport’s configuration makes approaches particularly sensitive. Planes must contend with the immediate proximity of the border and Moroccan airspace, which the Spanish Ministry of Transport describes as one of the main difficulties in improving landing procedures. Low clouds already regularly cause delays and cancellations in Melilla.
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The local government says it was not informed of the incident. Melilla’s vice-president and head of tourism, Miguel Marín, reproaches the Spanish authorities for this silence and calls for surveillance operations conducted near the border not to undermine the city’s air links.
