Spain Retains Control of Western Sahara Airspace, Straining Morocco Relations

Spain has maintained control of Sahara air traffic since 1976. ENAIRE, the Spanish public company responsible for airspace management, continues to monitor this space from Gando Airport (Gran Canaria). Rabat and Madrid had negotiated the transfer of this space, but did not reach an agreement, recently stated Ali Achour, former Moroccan diplomat and author of the book "Moroccan Sahara: 20 questions to understand", published in Rabat in 2015.

In an article published last week in the daily Barlamane, Achour stated that "regarding the southern provinces, Morocco has taken steps to cede the management of air traffic in the region. Several meetings have taken place between the technical teams of both countries, but without reaching a result." According to the former Moroccan ambassador to Latin American countries, Spain has also "opposed the modifications of the FIR (Flight Information Region) boundaries" proposed by Morocco "in order to cover the north of its territory."

For the former chief of staff of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Spain made this decision "to maintain control of air traffic above its enclaves" of Ceuta and Melilla. In the roadmap signed in Rabat between Spain and Morocco, on the occasion of President Pedro Sánchez’s visit on April 7, 2022, both parties indicated that "discussions will be initiated on the management of airspace," hinting at a transfer of control of this space from Spain to Morocco, after Sanchez’s support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara.

During his intervention on December 18 at the Congress, José Manuel Albares, the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, maintained that the cession of this air control was not on the agenda. But "what could be Madrid’s interest in maintaining air control of a territory over which Spain exercises no political authority? What is preventing the Spanish government, which withdrew by land and sea from the Sahara in 1976, from doing the same in the air?" Ali Achour questioned in his article.

The former Moroccan diplomat suggests signing a bilateral agreement between Rabat and Madrid to "end specific Spanish responsibilities dating from the past." This agreement would then be submitted to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for validation. The catch is that in the eyes of the UN, Western Sahara is still a non-self-governing territory and Spain is the administering power. Transferring Sahrawi airspace to Morocco would be another step towards recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over this territory. The United States and France have already recognized the Moroccanness of the Sahara.