Air France bans Pakistan, 30 nations' pilots from Israel flights
What's the story
Air France has banned Pakistani pilots and crew members from operating flights to and from Israel, saying it is complying with new Israeli restrictions. The policy impacts citizens of 31 countries, mostly Muslim-majority ones, including Algeria, Tunisia, Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Niger. The airline said in a statement to Al Jazeera that it "is required to comply with the entry regulations established by the authorities of the countries it serves."
Directive details
Israeli directive restricts crew from certain countries
According to Israel's N12 broadcaster, the 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 move follows an alleged hijacking attempt by an Omani co-pilot on a Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv on September 30.
The accused had tried to crash it into Ben Gurion airport.
Airline response
Other airlines' responses to Israeli directive
Czech airline Smartwings confirmed it received the Israeli directive.
"We have carefully reviewed the directive and continue to monitor and comply with all applicable requirements issued by the relevant authorities. At present, the directive does not have any impact on our operations, crew management procedures, or the deployment of crew members on flights to and from Israel," Vladimira Dufkova, a spokeswoman for Smartwings, said.
Legal implications
Legal experts weigh in on potential discrimination issues
An internal memo to Air France pilots and cabin crew warned that "failure to comply with this directive would expose Air France and the employee to potential sanctions," according to Mediapart.
The restrictions have sparked concerns of possible discrimination against airline employees based on nationality.
Paris-based anti-discrimination lawyer Clara Gandin argued that the policy could violate French employment law by treating employees differently based on nationality.
Sovereignty debate
International aviation law and state sovereignty over territorial airspace
She said, "The measure rests on a collective presumption which amounts to a discriminatory bias: Every national of these 31 countries... is treated as a potential security threat."
Vincent Correia, a McGill University professor of air law, said international aviation law recognizes state sovereignty over territorial airspace.
He pointed to Article 13 of the 1944 Chicago Convention allowing countries to impose rules on passenger and crew admission.
However, Gandin argued that this doesn't exempt airlines from national law obligations.