Spain Rejects Morocco’s Bid to Control Western Sahara Airspace, Tensions Rise

Morocco has resumed putting pressure on the two autonomous cities, after having confirmation from the Moncloa that Spain will not transfer the management of the airspace of the Sahara, which has been managed for decades by the public company ENAIRE, attached to the Spanish Ministry of Transport. After the change of position on the Sahara and the restoration of relations with Morocco that followed, the Moncloa acknowledged having engaged in talks with Rabat with a view to coordinating the management of this airspace for greater security in the connections and technical cooperation.

But the Spanish government would have decided to end these negotiations due to the early elections on July 23 and the end of the legislature, diplomatic sources told El Confidencial Digital, specifying that the government is aware that Spain is the administering power of the Sahara and that under international law, it cannot dispose of its airspace as it sees fit. This airspace belongs to the Upper Flight Information Region (FIR/UIR) of the Canary Islands Air Traffic Control Center of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), in charge of air traffic control in this area, it is pointed out.

This decision by Spain has blocked for a few weeks the negotiations for the opening of commercial customs in Ceuta and Melilla. Similarly, Morocco has resumed its claims on the two autonomous cities. In a recent correspondence to the European Commission, Morocco qualified the two autonomous cities as "Moroccan cities". Spain has firmly condemned these statements in a verbal note addressed to the Moroccan embassy in Madrid.