Israel has barred foreign airline pilots and flight attendants who hold citizenship in countries without diplomatic relations with Israel from working flights into its airspace, and Air France and United Airlines have both adjusted their crew assignments to follow the rule. The Transportation Ministry told foreign airlines about the directive on October 1, according to Channel 12, the day after the attempted hijacking of flydubai Flight 1073.
The directive says crew members operating flights into Israeli airspace must not hold the nationality, or a second nationality, of a country that lacks official ties with Israel, and that the airline is responsible for making sure its crews comply. A US passport does not override a listed second nationality. Crew from countries without ties to Israel were already barred, so the new measure applies to dual citizens, according to McGill air law professor Vincent Correia.
Which Countries Are Listed
A United memo reported by Live and Let’s Fly names 29 countries: 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. The list Mediapart published from Air France’s memo has 31 countries, adding Nicaragua and Colombia, according to Haaretz.
Air France and United Follow the Rule
United told pilots and flight attendants that affected crew scheduled on Tel Aviv flights should contact Crew Scheduling, and the airline is building the requirement into its crew planning systems. Air France told Al Jazeera that, like all airlines, it must comply with the entry regulations of the countries it serves, and that its staff have been informed. Mediapart reported that an internal Air France memo warned of sanctions for non-compliance. Czech carrier Smartwings said it received the directive in September and that its operations are not affected.
Legal questions have followed in France. Paris anti-discrimination lawyer Clara Gandin told Al Jazeera that removing employees from flights based on nationality is direct discrimination under French labor law, and the union representing Air France pilots objected to asking crew to identify themselves. Correia said international aviation law lets states enforce their own rules on admitting foreign crew.
Aftermath of the Flydubai Attack
On September 30, an Omani co-pilot attacked the Indian captain of flydubai Flight 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv, and the captain, two other pilots and passengers subdued him before the plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia, as we reported. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then ordered a review of security procedures for foreign civil aviation, according to Haaretz. Flydubai has since canceled all Tel Aviv flights through the end of October.
The rule applies to airline crew, not passengers, and no cancellations or delays have been reported on United’s Tel Aviv flights, which restarted from Newark on September 8. Passengers on flights to Israel can check with their airline for updates.
H/T Haaretz
Flydubai photo by Anna Zvereva via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
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