Air France has agreed to enforce an Israeli ban barring pilots and cabin crew of certain nationalities, including those of Muslim-majority countries, from operating flights to Israel. Middle East Eye reported the move, citing an investigation by the French investigative outlet Mediapart.
Air France Israeli ban covers 31 nationalities
According to Middle East Eye, the restrictions cover 31 nationalities, including Algerian, Tunisian, Iranian and Pakistani citizens, and also affect French citizens who hold one of the listed nationalities. The directive targets nationality rather than naming religion, but in effect excludes Muslim pilots from those countries from the flights.
Air France informed affected employees that under the Israeli instructions they could no longer operate flights to Israel, the report said. The airline also told staff to declare any second nationality and warned that failure to comply could lead to disciplinary sanctions. Middle East Eye said the policy could expose the airline to a legal challenge in France. Air France has not commented publicly and did not respond to the outlet’s request for comment.
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Israeli order followed flydubai incident
Citing Israeli media, Middle East Eye reported that Israel’s Transport Ministry issued the directive on October 1. It requires airlines to ensure that pilots and flight attendants entering Israeli airspace do not hold the nationality, or dual nationality, of a country that has no diplomatic relations with Israel.
The order followed an alleged attempt on September 30 by an Omani flydubai co-pilot to seize control of a Dubai–Tel Aviv flight. Middle East Eye noted that neither the Israeli nor the UAE account has been independently verified. Israeli media also reported that at least one Israeli airline is running background checks on about 2,500 pilots and cabin crew.
Sources: Middle East Eye
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