Hello 2025... Record traffic at Melilla crossing with significant improvement in wait times

Economy of the East

With the launch of Operation Marhaba 2025 on June 15, the occupied Melilla crossing recorded unprecedented traffic, with more than 14,000 travelers and more than 3,350 vehicles passing through to Morocco. Despite the high volume, authorities have made significant progress in managing crossing traffic, with waiting times reduced to between 20 and 30 minutes for both pedestrians and drivers, the government delegate in Melilla, Sabrina Mouh, confirmed on Tuesday morning.

In an official statement, the government delegate emphasized that these figures reflect the results of continuous monitoring since the beginning of the process, stressing that “waiting times are at an all-time low,” even during the busiest periods. This is a significant improvement over previous seasons, which saw long lines and waiting times that sometimes stretched for hours.

This improvement is due to enhanced coordination between security forces, emergency medical services, and Moroccan and Spanish authorities, who worked together to improve the flow of traffic through the border crossing. These efforts were particularly concentrated with the arrival of ships coming from the Iberian Peninsula, as the crossings usually see a peak in the number of travelers and vehicles crossing.

Although some limited cases were recorded where the waiting time reached up to two hours, most of the crossing stages passed smoothly and without major incidents. The delegation emphasized that work is still ongoing to improve the mechanisms to facilitate the crossing while maintaining all security and customs controls.

On the other hand, a recent progress report indicated that the number of passengers decreased by more than 20% compared to the 2024 season, and the number of transit vehicles decreased by 26.4%. However, pressures on the crossing remain, especially during weekends and after the arrival of ships.

Virginia Barkonis, Director General of Civil Protection and Emergencies, visited Melilla earlier this month and emphasized that one of the main goals of this year's crossing is to reduce waiting times and improve the traveler experience, in response to previous criticisms of congestion at the crossing.

Current field results indicate the success of these measures, and the crossing is expected to continue to perform well as traffic increases in the coming months, especially as August approaches, which usually witnesses a peak in the number of crossings.