Israel's New Crew Nationality Rule: What Air France Will Follow

Air France has confirmed it is enforcing new Israeli restrictions that decide which pilots and cabin crew can work on flights to and over Israel based on nationality.

The airline told Al Jazeera that “like all airlines it is required to comply with entry regulations established by authorities of countries it serves, for both customers and employees” Al Jazeera. It added that “staff concerned have been informed of the new regulations implemented by Israeli authorities for flights to Tel Aviv.”

According to Israel’s N12 broadcaster, Israel’s Ministry of Transport and Road Safety told 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 lack diplomatic relations with Israel” Al Jazeera. Dual nationality means holding passports from two countries. The rule covers flights in Israeli airspace — the sky above Israel that airlines need permission to enter — not only crew who land and pass through passport control.

Israeli media and Mediapart reported that the rule covers nationals of 31 Muslim-majority countries. Reports named Algeria, Tunisia, Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Niger. Nationals of those countries are no longer allowed to fly into Israel’s airspace, according to those reports.

Smartwings spokeswoman Vladimira Dufkova told Al Jazeera the airline received the directive from Israeli authorities in September 2026. N12 dated the Ministry’s formal notice to foreign airlines as October 1.

On September 30, an Omani copilot allegedly tried to hijack a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv and crash it into Ben Gurion airport, according to Emirati and Israeli authorities. The copilot is accused of attacking the plane’s Indian pilot. The pilot has been recovering in hospital.

Smartwings confirmed to Al Jazeera that it received the new directive and will comply. It said its operations were not currently impacted. United Airlines told Al Jazeera it “did not have anything to share” when asked about the directive. The rule affects rostering — how airlines assign crew to flights — not only who is admitted at the border.

Mediapart reported seeing an internal Air France memo to pilots and cabin crew warning that “failure to comply with the directive would expose Air France and the employee to potential sanctions.” Sanctions here means penalties. Al Jazeera reported it could not independently verify the internal memo described by Mediapart.

The broader context here is a long-running tension in international aviation. Airlines often change crew assignments to meet a destination country’s entry rules for crew and passengers. Using nationality to decide who can even fly through airspace is less common. That leaves airlines caught between following the rules of the country they fly to and following labour and anti-discrimination rules at home.

Looking at what this means for operators, the next steps are practical. Airlines serving Tel Aviv will need to check crew nationality and dual nationality before assigning flights, keep backup crews ready for quick changes, and keep records to show Israeli authorities. For carriers with diverse cockpit and cabin teams, that makes scheduling harder. It also opens questions from regulators and staff representatives at home about how the selection is applied and recorded.