After flydubai co-pilot attack, Air France bans Pakistani, Muslim-majority crew on Israel flights

Air 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 action comes after the attempted terror attack by an Omani co-pilot aboard a flydubai flight on September 30. Oman is one of the countries that doesn’t have diplomatic ties with Israel.

The restrictions could affect crew members who hold citizenship of any of the listed countries, including those who also hold another nationality.

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. The restrictions have raised questions about their implications for international aviation and if more airlines would follow the same to comply with Israeli rules.

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According to 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.

According to Mediapart report, Air France has reportedly instructed employees to disclose any second nationality, warning that failure to do so could result in disciplinary action.

While Air France has confirmed that it is complying with the requirements, United Airlines has incorporated them into its crew-planning procedures.

“The staff concerned have been informed of the new regulations implemented by the Israeli authorities for flights to Tel Aviv,” Air France said.

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According to Israeli broadcaster N12, Israel’s Ministry of Transport and Road Safety informed 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 do not have diplomatic relations with Israel.

The restrictions could affect dozens of airlines operating flights to, from or over Israel.

The Israeli directive came a day after an Omani co-pilot allegedly attempted to hijack a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv and crash it into Israel’s Ben Gurion airport on September 30. The co-pilot is accused of attacking the aircraft’s Indian pilot.

Crew of which nationalities are banned from Israel flights

Israel’s directive covers 31 countries, many of them Muslim-majority nations. 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.

The Israeli restrictions were in place before the flydubai terror attack attempt but were not strictly enforced.

Israeli authorities relied largely on foreign airlines to ensure that crew members from countries with which Israel does not have diplomatic relations were excluded from flights to the country, instead of independently verifying their nationalities.

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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 operated flights into Tel Aviv for years despite the existing guidelines.

Ethiopian flight with Indonesian pilot ordered to turn back by Israel

A flight of Ethiopian Airlines was the first to be affected by the new Israeli restrictions. The flight on Tuesday 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, reported The Jerusalem Post.

The aircraft returned to Addis Ababa (the Ethiopian capital), where the pilot was replaced, before departing again and landing in Tel Aviv.