In compliance with the new Israeli restrictions, Air France has confirmed that it is barring flight crew members from certain nationalities from operating flights to Israel. The decision has affected citizen of more than 31 countries, including Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Tunia among others.
Air France told Al Jazeera it must follow the entry rules of the countries it serves, for both customers and crew, like any other airline. “The staff concerned have been informed of the new regulations implemented by the Israeli authorities for flights to Tel Aviv,” it added.
What is Israel’s directive?
N12 says foreign airlines got a message from Israel’s transport ministry on October 1: if your pilots or cabin crew hold a passport, even a second one, from a country that has no diplomatic ties with Israel, they can’t work flights into Israeli airspace.
Also Read | Israeli singer Ben Raivitz sings Hanuman Chalisa for Captain Smit Machchhar | Viral
The directive is said to apply to 31 countries, a good number of them Muslim-majority, among them Pakistan, Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Tunisia and Niger. It followed one day after the September 30 incident, in which an Omani co-pilot is alleged to have tried to hijack a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv and crash it into Ben Gurion Airport. That is what Emirati and Israeli authorities say. The Indian captain he is accused of attacking is recovering in hospital.
Several other airlines receive directive
Czech airline Smartwings confirmed it had received the Israeli directive, but said its operations had not been affected so far.
Also Read | Flydubai Attack: PM Netanyahu invites pilot Smit Machchhar to Israel, calls him ‘hero of entire world’
“We received the directive from the Israeli authorities in September 2026. We have carefully reviewed the directive and continue to monitor and comply with all applicable requirements issued by the relevant authorities. At present, the directive does not have any impact on our operations, crew management procedures, or the deployment of crew members on flights to and from Israel,” Smartwings spokeswoman Vladimira Dufkova told Al Jazeera.
United Airlines said it had nothing to share but did not confirm whether it had received the directive or changed crew assignments.
from World – Latest News, Breaking News, LIVE News, Top News Headlines, Viral Video, Cricket LIVE, Sports, Entertainment, Business, Health, Lifestyle and Utility News | India.Com https://ift.tt/fH43g8e
