Spain denies any progress in the ongoing negotiations regarding the transfer of Saharan airspace to Morocco, which is currently managed from the Canary Islands, according to Spanish news outlet El Independiente, citing government sources.
The Spanish Foreign Ministry emphasized that “there is no new information on the matter at this time.” ENAIRE, Spain’s air navigation authority, also denied any involvement in talks about transferring air navigation services in Saharan airspace to Morocco.
“Foreign policy is not ENAIRE’s responsibility, and we have no evidence that this alleged transfer is anything more than a recurring rumor,” stated the Spanish agency.
The discussions on this subject were recently raised by Javier Armas, a senator from Agrupación Herrereña Independiente, who stated in a written question to the government, “reliable sources in the aviation sector have said that the government is considering handing over the provision of ATS (Air Traffic Services) in Saharan airspace to Morocco.”
“If this is confirmed, it would mean handing everything over to Morocco through the backdoor, in plain terms,” he added, stating that “ATS services are typically only transferred to foreign providers in small areas for traffic or route management reasons, and this is not what Spain is allegedly planning to do with Morocco,” citing trusted sources.
Last week, Spanish parliamentarian Aniceto Armas González also referred to “a potential backdoor deal to transfer the management of Sahrawi airspace to Morocco.” The MP expressed deep concern over this alleged move, calling it “a backdoor surrender that undermines Spain’s sovereignty and international commitments.”
In recent years, Morocco has been in talks with Spain to transfer control of Sahrawi airspace to Moroccan authorities. These discussions, initiated in 2022, mark a significant shift in the management of the region’s airspace.
Spain’s support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara formalized in a bilateral agreement in April 2022, has provided momentum to these negotiations.
The talks aim to enhance coordination and safety in air traffic management, signaling Morocco’s growing influence in the region.
The seventh point of the Joint Declaration explicitly states that “they will initiate a conversation about airspace management.”
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