- United Airlines and Air France informed crew of nationality restrictions imposed by Israel
- The restrictions follow the attempted hijacking of a flydubai flight on 30 September 2026
- United’s memo lists 29 countries whose nationals may be barred from Tel Aviv flights
- The list includes Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen
- Air France stated it is required to comply with entry requirements set by authorities
United Airlines and Air France have informed flight and cabin crew of nationality restrictions imposed by Israel following the attempted hijacking by a first officer of a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion on 30 September 2026. This follows an Israeli Ministry of Transport security directive requiring airlines to verify crew citizenship and barring crew members who hold citizenship of countries without formal diplomatic relations with Israel.
United’s internal scheduling memo lists 29 countries whose nationals may be barred from its flights to and from Tel Aviv. They are Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Brunei, Comoros, Cuba, Djibouti, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Venezuela and Yemen. The memo cautions that the list may not be exhaustive. United has asked affected employees to arrange changes to their assignments.
An Air France spokesperson stated that like all airlines, Air France is required to comply with the entry requirements set by the authorities of the countries it serves, both for its customers and its staff. The employees concerned have been informed of the new rules introduced by the Israeli authorities for flights to Tel Aviv.
