The European Commission excludes Western Sahara from the air transport agreement with Morocco. This clarification was made by Apóstolos Tzitzikóstas, European Commissioner for Transport and Sustainable Tourism, in his response to a written question posed by MEP Lynn Boylan (from the Left Group). «On 3 December 2024 during the meeting on the Consultative Forum on EU External Aviation Policy, the Commission informed EU carriers that, in accordance with the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, the Euro-Mediterranean aviation agreement between the EU and Morocco does not apply to routes from the territory of an EU Member State to the territory of the Western Sahara», explained Commissioner Tzitzikóstas on Monday. Yesterday, Ryanair launched its route between Madrid and Dakhla. The three Spaniards expelled by Moroccan authorities were on board this inaugural flight. As a reminder, Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson visited Dakhla airport last November. This visit was denounced by the Polisario. Currently, Transavia, a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM group, and the Spanish company Binter operate flights to Laayoune and Dakhla, respectively, from Paris and the Canary Islands.
