British military aircraft have to plan longer routes so that they avoid Spanish airspace as a result of restrictions imposed by Spain over Gibraltar. Royal Air Force planners have to use their imagination when they plan routes to and from Gibraltar which in many cases involve a longer route.
A Royal Air Force C17 transport plane, bound from Gibraltar to France, last week had to make relatively large detours so that it didn´t fly over Spanish airspace. The giant aircraft headed out into the Mediterranean to avoid passing through Mallorcan airspace and turned towards France once it was clear.
According to the UK Defence Journal: "the British Ministry of Defence has confirmed that restrictions on British military aircraft entering Spanish airspace continue to apply to flights arriving at or departing from RAF Gibraltar, though officials say the measures have no operational impact."
However, some military experts would say that these measures are slightly "over the top" when you consider that both Britain and Spain are members of NATO.
The Journal continues: "no assessment has been made of any financial cost arising from the continued rerouting of flights through other international flight regions."
RAF Gibraltar is a key logistical and strategic hub for UK operations in the Mediterranean and North Africa, though tensions over airspace access have persisted between London and Madrid since the 1980s.