Air France says it will follow Israeli rule barring crew from some nations

The reported restrictions could put airlines that comply with Israel at odds with the national laws under which they operate. Save Share Air France has confirmed that it is complying with new Israeli restrictions limiting who can fly to and over Israel based on their nationality, a controversial policy that some experts say could expose the airline to discrimination lawsuits. The new Israeli restrictions, reported by Israeli media and French investigative publication Mediapart, list 31 Muslim-majority countries, including Algeria, Tunisia, Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Niger, whose nationals are no longer allowed to fly into Israel’s airspace. “Like all airlines, Air France is required to comply with the entry regulations established by the authorities of the countries it serves, both for its customers and employees,” Air France told Al Jazeera in a statement. According to Israel’s N12 broadcaster, the Ministry of Transport and Road Safety told foreign airlines on October 1 that pilots and cabin crew operating flights into Israeli airspace must not hold the nationality or dual nationality of countries that lack diplomatic relations with Israel. The directive came a day after an Omani copilot allegedly attempted to hijack aFlydubai flightfrom Dubai to Tel Aviv and crash it into Israel’s Ben Gurion airport on September 30, according to Emirati and Israeli authorities. The copilot is accused of attacking the plane’s Indian pilot, who has been recovering in hospital. “The staff concerned have been informed of the new regulations implemented by the Israeli authorities for flights to Tel Aviv,” Air France told Al Jazeera. The Israeli directive could affect dozens of airlines that fly to, from or over that country. Al Jazeera contacted the Israeli Transport Ministry for comment but had not received a response by the time of publication. Al Jazeera also contacted 15 major international airlines operating flights to Israel, asking whether they had received the directive and changed crew assignments in response. Smartwings, the largest Czech airline, confirmed that it had received the new Israeli directive, and while it said its operations were not impacted at the moment, it added that it would comply with the restrictions. “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....