Air France bans Pakistani pilots from Israel flights. More airlines follow suit?

Pakistani pilots and cabin crew have been banned from flying to Israel by Air France. Flight crew from Pakistan are among 31 countries that the French airline has banned following the FlyDubai attempted terror attack. Meanwhile, the US' United Airlines has informed its staff of similar restrictions on flights to and from Israel.Air France is reportedly the first airline to confirm a ban on Pakistani pilots as per the Israeli aviation restrictions. (Image: Getty) New Delhi,Oct 14, 2026 14:19 ISTAir France has banned Pakistani pilots and crew members from operating flights to and from Israel, after the Jewish nation reinforced restrictions for airline crew from countries that don't have diplomatic relations with it. The move follows the attempted terror attack by Omani co-pilot aboard a FlyDubai flight on September 30. Oman is one of the countries that doesn't have diplomatic ties with Israel.Following the Air France ban on airline crew from 31 nations, including Pakistan, Chicago-based United Airlines has informed their pilots and cabin crew about nationality-based rules for flights to and from Israel. These restrictions have raised questions about their implications for international aviation and if more airlines would follow the same to comply with Israeli rules.According to October 13 reports of French investigative publication Mediapart, and aviation intelligence company ch-aviation, both airlines have informed flight and cabin crew about the restrictions imposed by Israel. While Air France has confirmed that it is complying with the requirements, United Airlines has reportedly incorporated them into its crew-planning procedures.The largest Czech airline, Smartwings, has also confirmed it will comply with Israel's restrictions, although it said its crew assignments and operations have not been affected so far. The restrictions reportedly prevent crew members holding the nationality, or dual nationality, of certain countries without diplomatic relations with Israel from operating affected flights.WHICH NATIONALITIES ARE BANNED FROM OPERATION ISRAEL FLIGHTSAccording to ch-aviation, the internal scheduling memo of United Airlines, lists 29 countries whose nationals might be barred from working on its flights to and from Tel Aviv. The countries are Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Brunei, Comoros, Cuba, Djibouti, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Venezuela and Yemen.Although the Israeli restrictions were in place before the FlyDubai attempted terror attack, they were not actively or strictly enforced, according to reports. Israeli authorities relied largely on foreign airlines to ensure that crew members from countries with which Israel lacks diplomatic relations were excluded from flights to the country, rather than independently verifying their nationalities.The Shin Bet security service of Israel did not routinely conduct such checks. Israel's transportation ministry also acknowledged that it lacked the intelligence infrastructure to systematically monitor airline crew rosters. As a result, pilots from countries including Oman, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and Lebanon were able to operate flights into Tel Aviv for years despite the existing guidelines.Following the FlyDubai incident, Israeli authorities have moved for stricter enforcement of their rules.ETHIOPIAN FLIGHT WITH INDONESIAN PILOT ORDERED TO TURN BACK BY ISRAELA flight of Ethiopian Airlines on Tuesday was the first to be affected by the new Israeli restrictions. The flight was about an hour into its journey and still in Ethiopian airspace when Israeli authorities ordered it to turn back after identifying an Indonesian pilot on board, The Jerusalem Post reported.The aircraft returned to Addis Ababa (the Ethiopian capital), where the pilot was replaced, before departing again and landing in Tel Aviv. Muslim-majority Indonesia has no diplomatic relations with Israel, and its nationals are subject to restrictions on operating flights to the Jewish nation.Ethiopian Airlines described the incident as a mistake, saying it had been unaware that the pilot was barred from operating flights to Israel.On the other hand, United Airlines has reportedly asked employees from the restricted nations to arrange changes to their assignments and said it was incorporating the requirements into its crew-planning systems. The memo also cautions that the list might not be exhaustive.The restrictions could affect crew members who hold citizenship of any of the listed countries, including those who also hold another nationality.AIR FRANCE FIRST TO COMPLY WITH ISRAELI REGULATIONSAir France has also informed its employees about the new requirements. The airline confirmed to Doha-based broadcaster Al Jazeera that it was complying with the Israeli rules, which it said applied to customers and employees under the entry regulations of the countries it serves."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," the airline told Al Jazeera.The airline also told the broadcaster that the employees concerned had been informed of the new regulations implemented by Israeli authorities for flights to Tel Aviv.According to Mediapart's investigative report, Air France has reportedly instructed employees to disclose any second nationality, warning that failure to do so could result in disciplinary action.Mediapart reported that Air France had initially considered asking crew members to voluntarily declare whether they were affected by the restrictions. However, Alter, the union representing flight deck crew, persuaded the airline to abandon that approach, arguing in a leaflet to its members that it would amount to "discrimination based on nationality".The reported implementation of the restrictions could expose Air France to legal challenges in France. The airline has not publicly commented on Mediapart's specific findings.WHAT ARE THE RESTRICTIONS BY ISRAEL FOR AIRLINES?According to Israel's N12 broadcaster, the country's Ministry of Transport and Road Safety notified 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.Israeli media and Mediapart have reported that the restrictions cover 31 Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan, Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Tunisia and Niger.The United Airlines' internal scheduling memo, on the other hand, had a list of 29 countries.Although the directive is framed around nationality and diplomatic relations, its reported application could prevent pilots and cabin crew from the affected countries from working on flights to Israel. The requirements could also affect employees with dual citizenship, depending on the other nationalities they hold.The restrictions were reinforced a day after an incident aboard a FlyDubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30.At least three big airlines have complied with the Israeli restrictions, and reports suggest that the Jewish nation is monitoring its enforcement even when a flight is air-bound. It looks like more airlines will introduce similar operational changes which would result in the banning of Pakistani pilots and crew members, including other Muslim or Muslim-majority nations.- Ends(Written by Avinash Kateel)