Air France Union Protests Israeli Crew Restrictions, Demands Flight Boycott

The Force Ouvrière union at Air France has expressed outrage over new restrictions imposed by Israel on foreign flight crews, demanding the airline refuse to comply. The union, in a statement signed by General Secretary Christophe Malloggi, proposed that Air France respond by boycotting flights to Israel. The Israeli Ministry of Transport's requirement prohibits crew members who are citizens of countries without diplomatic relations with Israel from entering the country's airspace. This restriction also applies to individuals with dual citizenship.

According to the union, Air France has already begun enforcing this policy, with management issuing an internal directive and notifying crews. The French publication Mediapart had previously reported on the existence of such a memo.

The union accused the Israeli ministry of attempting to dictate Air France's crew composition and criticized their own management for hastily agreeing to the demand. "If the Israeli Minister of Transport imagines that there are second-class citizens in France, that is his view of the world and his business. But when Air France agrees with him, disregarding the law, that is something else entirely," the union's statement read.

Force Ouvrière insists that the restrictions violate the principle of citizen equality and French law, stating, "The fundamental principle of our country, and therefore of our company, is that all citizens are equal. Discrimination is an offense. Management's reaction is inappropriate and turns us into executors of someone else's will. This is clearly unacceptable from the perspective of our values and the law."

As a response, the union suggested halting all air traffic with Israel. "If they don't want our colleagues, then they won't have our planes. That is the proper response," the union emphasized, urging Air France management to "reconsider as soon as possible." The article notes that this is the union's position and does not reflect a decision by the airline to cancel flights.

The restrictions follow an attempted terror attack on a FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30. The co-pilot, an Omani citizen, reportedly attacked the captain and attempted to seize control, intending to crash the plane into Ben Gurion Airport's terminal in an act reminiscent of the September 11 attacks, according to the UAE prosecution. Passengers and crew subdued the attacker, and two other FlyDubai pilots landed the aircraft in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.