Air France is complying with Israeli restrictions that bar certain flight crew from operating flights to or over Israel. Multiple outlets report that the airline has imposed the restrictions on Pakistani pilots, following an earlier disruption involving flydubai that brought heightened scrutiny to cockpit security.
The reporting links the policy shift to a flydubai incident on September 30, 2026, in which an Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked an Indian captain while attempting to seize control of the aircraft. After that event, Air France states it will not use crew from a set of countries that Israel lists as lacking diplomatic ties.
Outlets differ in how they describe the breadth of the measures. Mint says Air France bars crew from 31 countries, while NDTV and Times of India focus more specifically on Pakistan and broader characterizations of affected crew. Across the coverage, the common thread is Air France’s compliance with Israel’s crew ban framework and the linkage, in the reporting, to the flydubai cockpit incident.
