Algerian authorities said that Algeria closed its airspace to all Moroccan aircraft on Wednesday. The decision came nearly a month after Algeria cut diplomatic ties with Rabat.
The media office of the Algerian president announced, in a statement, the “immediate” closure of Algerian airspace “in front of all Moroccan civil and military aircraft, as well as aircraft with a Moroccan registration number.”
It was decided to close the airspace “due to the continued provocations and hostile practices from the Moroccan side.” However, no details were provided.
‘Irrelevant decision’
The Moroccan authorities did not comment on the decision, but a source in Royal Air Maroc said that the closure of Algerian airspace will affect only 15 flights per week connecting Morocco with Tunisia, Turkey and Egypt. Algiers’ decision was deemed irrelevant and it was clarified that the relevant flights could be diverted to the Mediterranean.
See: Algeria 42 people were shot dead, including 25 soldiers
On August 24, Algeria announced that it was cutting diplomatic ties with Morocco, explaining that its neighbor was “hostile” to it. The head of Algerian diplomacy, Ramadan Lamamra, accused Rabat of using Pegasus spyware to monitor Algerian politicians, among other things.
Lamamra also accused the Moroccan authorities of supporting regional separatists and failing to fulfill “bilateral commitments,” including on the disputed issue of Western Sahara.
View / PAP
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