Dublin (Ireland), October 19, 2026 (SPS) — A preliminary assessment by Ireland’s advertising watchdog has concluded that Ryanair’s promotional campaign—which presented the occupied city of Dakhla in Western Sahara as a Moroccan destination—may mislead travelers, recommending that the advertisement not be republished in its current format.
The assessment, issued on October 12, followed a complaint filed by Sinn Féin Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Lynn Boylan regarding the airline’s promotion of Dakhla as a destination to discover "Moroccan culture," despite its location in Western Sahara, which has been on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories since 1963.
According to The Irish Times, the authority recommended upholding the complaint and urging the company not to republish the ad in its current form, while a final decision remains pending.
Ryanair had launched promotional campaigns for Dakhla in March and August of last year, featuring it among its Moroccan destinations. Boylan considered that this ignored the territory's legal status and the rights of its people, while the company maintained that it had not intended to express any political stance.
The issue dates back to November 2024, when the airline announced the launch of flights to Dakhla from Madrid and Lanzarote, presenting the city as the 13th airport in its network within Morocco.
In response to a parliamentary question by Boylan, the European Commission confirmed in January 2025 that the EU-Morocco aviation agreement does not apply to flights between an EU member state and Western Sahara, based on rulings issued by the Court of Justice of the European Union in 2024.
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