Luis Ayllón
The ‘Red Arrows’, the British Royal Air Force (RAF) aerobatic patrol, are due to hold two displays in Menorca and Gibraltar at the end of this month, The Diplomat has learnt.
The presence of the ‘Red Arrows’, which performs displays similar to those carried out by the Spanish Air Force’s Eagle Patrol, is eagerly awaited in Menorca, where there are a good number of Britons, and, above all, in Gibraltar, as the last time the colony received a visit from the air group was in 2009, fourteen years ago.
According to Majorca Daily Bulletín, the ‘Red Arrows’ patrol will perform on Tuesday, 26th, in the skies over Menorca, where they have already been on four other occasions, the last in 2018, and will then set course for Gibraltar.
Gibraltarian government sources consulted by The Diplomat said they were unaware of the scheduling of this display and a spokeperson for the British Embassy replied when asked for confirmation of the patrol’s visit: “No comment”. The Red Arrows’ website lists the planned displays, but only until 24 September, when it will perform in Malta.
The last two times the ‘Red Arrows’ performed on the Rock were in 1993 and 2009. Their presence fourteen years ago was warmly welcomed on the Rock, whose political leaders stressed that the fact that some twenty planes painted red, white and blue, the colours of the British flag during their show, should be interpreted as a response to Spain’s traditional claim to sovereignty over the Rock.
On the contrary, PP officials, in particular the current mayor of Algeciras and then deputy, José Ignacio Landaluce, expressed his displeasure, stating that the show was against Spain’s interests and its claims.
The Spanish Government at the time, which was presided over by the socialist José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, denied the authorisation requested by the RAF to enter Spanish airspace, despite which, the ‘Red Arrows’ carried out the performance, assuring that they would not enter that space, something which, apparently, was not fulfilled, since the characteristics of the displays of these aerobatic patrols, require a much wider airspace than Gibraltar.
Now, the RAF will have to request authorisation again and the Spanish Ministry of Defence will have to decide whether to grant it or not, or use an alternative route to get from Menorca to the Rock, without crossing Spanish airspace, presumably via Morocco.
The formal reason for the programme prepared by the RAF is the commemoration of the Battle of Britain, the great confrontation between British aircraft and Nazi German aircraft in 1940.
Menorca and Gibraltar are precisely the two territories that England took possession of in 1713, during the War of Succession. The former was not returned to Spain until a century later, and the latter is still a British colony.
The presence of the Red Arrows comes at a time when there have been a series of recent incidents at the fence and Spain’s protest at the harassment of Spanish vessels, especially fishing boats, by the Gibraltarian authorities. In addition, negotiations between the European Commission and the United Kingdom to reach a treaty on the future of the Rock after Brexit remain at a standstill, pending the formation of a new government in Spain.
