Air France bans Pakistani pilots on Israel flights: Which airlines are next?
PTC Web Desk: Pilots and cabin crew from Pakistan will no longer be allowed on Air France flights to and from Israel. The airline has told staff it will follow Israel’s tightened rules on crew nationality and it is not the only carrier doing so.
The rules say that crew on flights into Israel must not hold citizenship, including a second passport, from any country that has no diplomatic ties with Israel. According to Israeli broadcaster N12, the Transport Ministry sent this notice to foreign airlines on October 1. Media reports say the list covers 31 countries, among them Pakistan, Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Tunisia and Niger.
Why now?
The timing is linked to September 30, when an Omani co-pilot on a FlyDubai flight reportedly tried to carry out an attack. Oman has no diplomatic relations with Israel. The nationality rules already existed, but reports suggest they were rarely enforced. Israel largely left it to airlines to screen their own crews. Its security service did not check rosters routinely and the Transport Ministry reportedly admitted it had no system to monitor them. Because of this, pilots from countries such as Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Oman and Lebanon are said to have flown into Tel Aviv for years.
That has changed. Israel is now pushing for strict compliance.
Ethiopian Airlines flight turned back
The first visible impact came on Tuesday. The Jerusalem Post reported that an Ethiopian Airlines plane had been in the air for about an hour when Israeli authorities told it to return, because an Indonesian pilot was on board. Indonesia has no ties with Israel. The jet went back to Addis Ababa, the pilot was replaced and the flight then went on to Tel Aviv. Ethiopian Airlines called it an error and said it had not known the pilot was ineligible.
Airlines adjust
Air France told Al Jazeera that, like any airline, it must follow the entry rules of the countries it flies to, for both passengers and employees. Mediapart, the French investigative outlet, reports that staff were told to disclose any second nationality or risk disciplinary action. The airline reportedly first wanted crew to declare themselves voluntarily, but the pilots’ union Alter objected. It told members this would amount to discrimination based on nationality. Air France has not responded to Mediapart’s specific claims and legal challenges in France are possible.
United Airlines has also moved. An internal scheduling memo seen by aviation intelligence firm ch-aviation lists 29 countries whose citizens may be kept off its Tel Aviv flights. They include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen, among others. Affected employees have been asked to change their assignments and the airline is building the rules into its crew-planning systems. The memo warns that the list may not be complete. Czech carrier Smartwings has also said it will comply, though it says its operations have not been affected yet.
What comes next
At least three airlines have now confirmed or reportedly adopted the rules and Israel is said to be watching compliance even while flights are in the air. If more carriers follow, crew from many Muslim-majority countries, Pakistan included, could lose the chance to work Israel routes.
Also Read | Civil servant accused of working five govt jobs at once, used makeup to fake illness
- With inputs from agencies
