After Flydubai cockpit attack, Air France bars pilots from Pakistan, 30 other Muslim-majority countries

NewsWorldAfter Flydubai cockpit attack, Air France bars pilots from Pakistan, 30 other Muslim-majority countries Israel’s flight crew nationality restrictions have prompted Air France and Smartwings to confirm compliance with new rules affecting pilots and cabin crew. 3 min readNew DelhiOct 14, 2026 09:25 PM IST First published on: Oct 14, 2026 at 09:23 PM IST Passengers embark on a FlyDubai aircraft at Ben Gurion International Airport, near Tel Aviv, Israel. (Photo: AP) After an Omani co-pilot allegedly attempted to hijack and crash flydubai flight FZ1073 en route to Tel Aviv while stabbing Indian captain Smit Machchhar in a mid-air cockpit brawl, Air France has reportedly decided that it will comply with new Israeli restrictions that deal with who can fly to and over Israel based on their nationality. ” AVIATION · ISRAEL Which pilots are affected by Israel’s rules? After the flydubai FZ1073 cockpit attack, Israel’s Transportation Ministry told foreign airlines which crew may not fly to the country. It has not published the directive. HOW THE CREW CHECK WORKS, AS REPORTED Crew member with only a US passport US CAN FLY US citizen who also holds Pakistani citizenship USPakistan BARRED French flight attendant with Algerian dual nationality FranceAlgeria BARRED Who is covered? REPORTEDPilots and cabin crew of foreign airlines flying to Israel. They may not operate or travel on Israel-bound flights. Channel 12 (N12), via The Times of Israel REPORTEDThe test is citizenship of a country with no formal diplomatic relations with Israel. N12; airline memos REPORTEDDual nationals are included. ” United memo, via Live and Let’s Fly REPORTEDThe airline is responsible for checking its crews. Kan, via Haaretz NOT ADDRESSEDBirthplace, residence and religion are not mentioned in any reported version of the directive. Directive wording as reported How many countries? Notice shown by N12 · Oct 4 27 United Airlines memo · list “may not be exhaustive” 29 Air France memo · reported by Mediapart 31 No official list has been published. Israel’s Transportation Ministry had not responded to Al Jazeera’s request for comment, so the full list cannot be independently verified. The 29 countries in the United memo REPORTED MIDDLE EAST 9 IranIraqKuwaitLebanonOmanQatarSaudi ArabiaSyriaYemen AFRICA 10 AlgeriaComorosDjiboutiLibyaMaliMauritaniaNigerSomaliaSudanTunisia ASIA 8 AfghanistanBangladeshBruneiIndonesiaMalaysiaMaldivesNorth KoreaPakistan AMERICAS 2 CubaVenezuela Also named in at least one other report (N12, Haaretz or Al Jazeera) Air France’s list also reportedly names: NicaraguaColombia Colombia’s inclusion is disputed: Colombia cut ties in recent years, but its new president has pledged to strengthen them, and its embassy in Israel is expected to open soon (Haaretz). The India angle India is not on any reported list: it has full diplomatic relations with Israel. Four of its neighbours are: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and the Maldives.