Spain and Morocco in Talks Over Sahara Airspace Management

"Informal contacts between the two countries are being maintained," the department of José Manuel Albares confirmed to El Independiente. Last March, the Moncloa had acknowledged having engaged in talks with Morocco with a view to co-managing the airspace of the Sahara, in accordance with point 7 of the joint declaration signed in April 2022 in Rabat by Pedro Sanchez and Mohammed VI.

According to government sources, these talks "are limited to the management of airspace and coordination between the two parties in order to achieve greater security in connections and technical cooperation". Until now, the airspace of the Sahara continues to be controlled from the Canary Islands, as established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

This confirmation of the continuation of the negotiations comes after the acquisition by the Moroccan National Airports Office (ONDA) of ManagAir, a modern air traffic management system designed by the Spanish company Indra. But sources from the company say that Morocco has ordered this system since the end of 2019.

With this Spanish technology, Morocco wants to position itself as "a key operator in the field of air navigation in the region". Royal Air Maroc has already announced its intention to quadruple its fleet by 2037, going from the current 50 aircraft to 200. It should be noted that Algeria, which has closed its airspace to Morocco for more than two years, also has ManagAir.