Air France says it will follow Israeli crew nationality restrictions for flights to Tel Aviv

Air France has said it will comply with new Israeli restrictions limiting which crew members may operate flights into the country based on nationality. The airline's confirmation comes after reports that the rules apply to nationals of 31 Muslim-majority countries and could affect foreign carriers serving Israel. The policy has drawn attention because it may force airlines to adjust staffing for flights to Tel Aviv and Israeli airspace.

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According to the supplied report, the restrictions were communicated by Israel's Ministry of Transport and Road Safety to foreign airlines on 1 October. The directive says pilots and cabin crew operating flights into Israeli airspace must not hold the nationality or dual nationality of countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel. Air France said staff affected by the change had been informed of the new regulations for flights to Tel Aviv, and the airline said it is required to comply with entry rules set by the countries it serves.

The reported list includes countries such as Algeria, Tunisia, Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Niger. The policy has been described as controversial because it could expose airlines to discrimination claims in the jurisdictions where they operate. The report also says the directive could affect dozens of airlines that fly to, from or over Israel, making it a wider aviation compliance issue rather than a single-carrier decision.

The timing of the measure appears linked to a security incident involving a Flydubai flight on 30 September. According to the report, an Omani co-pilot allegedly tried to hijack a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv and crash it into Ben Gurion airport. Emirati and Israeli authorities were cited as saying the co-pilot attacked the Indian pilot, who has been recovering in hospital.

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The new nationality restrictions were reported to have followed the incident a day later. The development matters because it places international airlines between Israeli entry rules and the legal obligations they face in their home countries. Airlines operating across borders often have to balance security requirements, anti-discrimination law and crew availability, especially on routes that pass through sensitive airspace.

In this case, the reported rule affects not only passengers but also flight crews, which can complicate scheduling and staffing for carriers with multinational workforces. The issue also highlights the broader sensitivity of aviation links to Israel at a time when security concerns remain central to transport policy. Israel's airspace is heavily regulated, and foreign airlines routinely adjust operations in response to official directives.

The reported nationality-based rule is unusual in its scope, however, because it ties operational access to citizenship and dual nationality rather than only to security screening or travel documentation. Air France said it was following the regulations established by the authorities of the countries it serves, both for customers and employees. Another airline cited in the report, Smartwings, said it had received the directive and would comply, although it said its operations were not affected at present.

The report also says the Israeli Transport Ministry had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication. What remains unclear is how broadly the rule will be enforced, whether other airlines will make similar changes, and whether any legal challenges will follow. It is also not clear how many flights or crew assignments will be affected in practice, or whether the policy will be revised after further review.