The debate over Western Sahara's airspace sparked lively discussions in Monday's session of the Spanish Congress of Deputies, as reported by EFE. Responding to a question from an MP belonging to a left-wing Basque nationalist and pro-independence political federation, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares stated that the Spanish government has no authority to prohibit airlines from operating flights to Saharan cities. «Private airline decisions are made between the companies themselves and the relevant civil aviation agencies; they are therefore technical decisions», said José Manuel Albares. The minister specifically referred to the direct route between Madrid and Dakhla, launched on January 9 by Ryanair. Since its inauguration, this route has been the focal point of a hostile campaign by Polisario supporters in Spain and the European Parliament. An MEP has already submitted a written question to the European Commission on the matter. In January, Brussels clarified in its response that Western Sahara is not included in the air transport agreement signed with Morocco, in line with the rulings issued on October 4, 2024, by the Court of Justice of the European Union. In addition to Ryanair, Transavia, a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM group, and the Spanish airline Binter also offer flights to Laâyoune and Dakhla from Paris and the Canary Islands, respectively.
