Air France bars crew from 31 countries, including Bangladesh, Pakistan, on Israel flights

Air France has confirmed it is enforcing Israeli restrictions barring pilots and cabin crew from certain countries, including Bangladesh and Pakistan, from operating flights to Israel, following an alleged hijacking attempt aboard a flydubai aircraft last month.

The restrictions reportedly affect nationals of 31 countries, most of them Muslim-majority, including Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Tunisia. They also apply to employees holding dual citizenship.

According to a report by The Times of India on Wednesday, the French airline has informed affected employees that they can no longer be assigned to flights to Tel Aviv.

Air France confirmed the restrictions in a statement to Al Jazeera, saying airlines must comply with the entry regulations imposed by countries they serve.

The airline said employees affected by the Israeli directive had been informed of the new requirements.

According to Israeli broadcaster N12, Israel's Ministry of Transport and Road Safety notified foreign airlines on October 1 that pilots and cabin crew operating flights into Israeli airspace must not hold citizenship, including dual citizenship, of countries without diplomatic relations with Israel.

The directive followed an alleged attempt by an Omani co-pilot to seize control of a flydubai flight traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30.

Israeli and Emirati authorities alleged that the co-pilot attacked the aircraft's Indian pilot and intended to crash the plane into Ben Gurion Airport.

The circumstances surrounding the alleged incident have not been independently verified.

The restrictions have also prompted other international carriers to review their crew assignments.

According to India Today, United Airlines has reportedly incorporated the Israeli requirements into its crew-scheduling procedures, while Czech airline Smartwings has confirmed it will comply with the directive. Smartwings said its operations had not been affected.

Reports differ over the number of affected nationalities. Israeli media and French investigative outlet Mediapart cited 31 countries, while an internal United Airlines scheduling memo reportedly identified 29, including Bangladesh.

The policy has raised legal questions in France, where employment legislation prohibits discrimination based on nationality.

Paris-based anti-discrimination lawyer Clara Gandin told Al Jazeera that excluding employees from particular flights solely because of their nationality could violate French labor law.

She argued that the restrictions effectively treated nationals of the listed countries as potential security threats, regardless of their individual circumstances.

Aviation law experts, however, pointed out that international conventions recognize a state's authority to regulate entry into its territory, including for airline crew.

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