Air France complies with Israeli limits on flight crews

Air France says it is complying with Israeli restrictions that bar foreign flight crew holding certain nationalities from operating flights into Israeli airspace, while Smartwings has also confirmed it will follow the requirements. The measures apply to crew members with dual nationality as well as those holding only one nationality, according to reports of the directive. Israel’s Transport Ministry notified foreign airlines on October 1 that pilots and cabin crew flying into Israeli airspace must not hold the nationality, including dual nationality, of countries that lack diplomatic relations with Israel, according to Israeli broadcaster N12. The directive’s exact scope and country list have not been established in the available reports: lists described by airlines and media accounts refer to 29 or 31 countries. Air France told Al Jazeera it was complying with entry regulations set by countries it serves and had informed employees affected by the rules. The airline did not independently confirm the details of an internal memo reportedly warning staff of possible sanctions for noncompliance.