Doha – Spanish media outlets are reporting that Morocco is demanding control over Western Sahara’s airspace as a condition for fully implementing the customs agreement with Spain’s enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.
OKDIARIO outlet claims that Morocco has effectively blocked the customs operations that were set to begin in early 2025 at Ceuta and Melilla by subjecting the only two daily trucks allowed – one per enclave – to extensive inspections, with one inspection reportedly lasting 11 hours.
The newspaper claims that diplomatic sources indicate Morocco is using this situation to pressure Spain into transferring control of Western Sahara’s airspace.
These allegations surface as part of an aggressive wave of Spanish media coverage against Morocco, representing the latest chapter in a persistent pattern of hostile reporting that has repeatedly challenged Rabat’s policies and its cooperation agreements with Madrid.
“Morocco does not communicate directly, but through specific actions that must then be interpreted,” OKDIARIO quoted well-experienced diplomatic sources in direct negotiations with Rabat as saying.
The newspaper reports that the Spanish government has already held at least two secret meetings on this matter.
Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska has previously rejected such claims, stating that these delays stem purely from “technical matters that need to be specified.”
Similarly, Spanish Government delegate Sabrina Moh has dismissed claims of Moroccan impositions. “The objective is to achieve full normalization through a series of phases, there is no type of imposition,” Moh said, countering accusations of unilateral decision-making.
El Independiente reports that Morocco currently controls between 15% and 20% of Western Sahara’s airspace, which is officially managed from the Canary Islands.
According to an internal Aena report cited by the newspaper, Morocco has unilaterally established four dangerous zones in the Canary Islands FIR (Flight Information Region) airspace, published exclusively in Morocco’s AIP (Aeronautical Information Publication).
The Spanish press reports that the airspace control issue has significant strategic and economic implications.
Currently, aircraft flying over Morocco’s southern provinces in the Western Sahara, including those on routes between Europe and South America, are under Spanish and Mauritanian air traffic authorities’ control.
OKDIARIO notes that Spain collects fees for each flight it controls in this airspace, as stipulated by ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization).
However, according to the Iberian news websites, Morocco is preparing for potential control of the skies over its southern provinces.
OKDIARIO alleges that Rabat is about to inaugurate a control tower built by the Moroccan National Airports Office (ONDA) in the southern town of Smara, which is expected to be operational this spring.
El Independiente notes that the situation has raised concerns in the Canary Islands. The newspaper quotes Senator Javier Armas expressing worry about “the impact that air control depending on Morocco could have on the development of the Canary Islands, especially in the tourism sector and the restrictions that could exist in the hands of third countries.”
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares dismissed these reports as “hoaxes” and “strange theories” when questioned about them in the Spanish congress, according to El Independiente.
The minister insisted that there is “a clear, transparent roadmap between Spain and Morocco that is being followed,” despite the current customs situation remaining unresolved.
EFE news agency reports that this week’s first planned commercial shipment between Ceuta and Morocco could not proceed due to what Moroccan authorities cited as “lack of documentation.”
Trade relations between both sides of the Mediterranean have reached unprecedented levels, with Spanish exports to Morocco hitting €10.84 billion and imports reaching €8.22 billion in the first 10 months of 2024, showing year-on-year growth of 6.8% and 9.1% respectively.
Read also: Spain Weighs Morocco’s Role As Debate Revives Over Control of Saharan Airspace
