Airlines restrict crew with certain dual citizenships from Israel flights

Major airlines United Airlines and Air France are implementing new crew restrictions for flights entering Israeli airspace following directives from Israeli authorities. These requirements target flight personnel based on their nationality and dual citizenship rather than religion or place of birth.

United Airlines issued an internal memo stating that crew members holding citizenship or dual nationality from certain countries that do not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Israel may not operate or be onboard flights to and from Tel Aviv. The memo identified 29 potentially impacted countries, including Afghanistan, Algeria, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia. The airline noted that holding U.S. citizenship does not exempt an employee if they also hold a restricted nationality.

Similarly, Air France has notified its staff of security instructions from the Israeli Ministry of Transport. The directive affects all commercial flights heading to Israeli airports. Personnel with dual nationality from countries such as Algeria, Tunisia, Iran, and Pakistan may be barred from these routes. Air France stated it is obligated to comply with the entry rules of the sovereign countries it serves, while labor unions have raised concerns regarding potential discrimination against binational employees.