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Air France has informed pilots and cabin crew members of new restrictions affecting employees with citizenship, including dual citizenship, from certain countries on flights to Israel, according to an investigation published by French outlet Mediapart on Saturday.
The measure is reportedly being implemented following a directive from Israel’s Ministry of Transport. The directive bans crew members who are citizens of countries without formal diplomatic relations with Israel from entering Israeli airspace.
The restrictions may also apply to employees who hold French citizenship alongside citizenship of one of the countries concerned. The new security directive issued by Israel’s Ministry of Transport on October 8 reportedly applies to flight crew members who are citizens of 31 countries.
According to Mediapart, an internal Air France notice listed countries covered by the restrictions, including Algeria, Tunisia, Iran and Pakistan. The airline allegedly warned employees that failure to comply with the directive could result in sanctions.
The publication linked the directive to an alleged incident aboard a Flydubai aircraft flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv in late September 2026. According to the report, a co-pilot who was an Omani citizen attacked the aircraft’s captain and attempted to crash the plane.
The aircraft was reportedly diverted to Saudi Arabia, and the situation was brought under control after passengers and crew members restrained the attacker.
The restrictions raise questions about how employees with dual citizenship will be treated and how airlines will staff flights to Israel. Air France has neither publicly confirmed nor denied the existence of the directive or the alleged internal notice.
