Mogadishu(Mogadishu24)-Somalia’s Civil Aviation Authority has on Monday strongly denied rumors that the government plans to hand over control of the country’s airspace to the United Arab Emirates.

The authority’s Director, Ahmed M. Hassan, emphasized that Somalia’s airspace is a national symbol and has seen significant progress since it returned to the control of the Somali government.

“There is no plan to transfer control of Somalia’s airspace to any other country,” Hassan stated. “The airspace of Somalia is a national symbol, and we have made tangible progress since its control was returned to the government of Somalia.”

Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, Fardowsa Osman Egal, also dismissed the rumors, labeling them as baseless and politically motivated. “We assure the Somali public that these rumors circulating on social media are unfounded. Some politicians are exploiting this issue for their political interests, but we will never allow them to mislead the public,” she said in a statement on X.

The government’s response follows comments made by former President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, who warned against any plans to transfer the control of Somalia’s airspace to the UAE.