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United Airlines, Air France adopt Israeli ban affecting pilots from Muslim countries

United Airlines and Air France have agreed to enforce an Israeli order barring pilots and cabin crew who hold the nationality of a state without formal diplomatic relations with Israel.

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An Air France Airbus A380 aircraft is towed toward the runway at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France. (Photo by Getty Images)

United Airlines, a major American carrier, and Air France, France's national airline, have agreed to implement an Israeli directive barring pilots and cabin crew from countries with no formal diplomatic relations with Israel from operating flights entering the airspace above the occupied territories.

As reported by the public Israeli broadcaster KAN, individuals with citizenship from nations that have not established diplomatic ties with Israel, including those holding dual nationality, are now restricted from flying to these Israeli-occupied areas.

This restriction will effectively prevent pilots and crew from many Muslim countries from participating in these flights.

The ban will impact 31 nationalities, including citizens from Algeria, Tunisia, Iran, and Pakistan, as well as French citizens with one of the designated nationalities.

Air France has notified its affected employees that they are no longer permitted to operate flights to the occupied territories under the new directives from the Tel Aviv regime.

The airline has also cautioned its staff to disclose any second nationality, warning that non-compliance could result in disciplinary action.

The enforcement of these restrictions by Air France may expose the airline to potential legal challenges in France.

Furthermore, Israeli Hebrew-language Channel 13 has reported that at least one unnamed Israeli airline is performing background checks on approximately 2,500 pilots and cabin crew members within the Israeli aviation sector.

This order was issued following an alleged attempt by the Omani co-pilot of FlyDubai flight 1073, named Hammam al-Hammami, to take control of a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight on September 30 and crash it into a terminal at Ben Gurion Airport.

The co-pilot claimed to UAE investigators that he acted independently, stating he attacked the captain with an emergency axe before attempting a terrorist act.

Nevertheless, several elements of the purported hijacking seem improbable, indicating that the incident may have been orchestrated as part of an Israeli propaganda effort.

One passenger, 50-year-old Yaniv Hayun, asserted that he rushed to the cockpit after the stabbing, subdued Hammami, and managed to stabilize the plane after it reportedly descended 20,000 feet.

However, Hayun, who owns a plumbing business in Israel, lacks any aviation experience.

He claimed he knew how to recover the plane from its nosedive, allegedly saving over 170 people, by watching a television show about aircraft crashes.

In contrast to the reported drop in altitude, passengers were observed walking and standing in the aisle to view the situation in the cockpit.

“Some of the numbers we are seeing reported don't make any sense because if you are descending that rapidly, the aircraft would've disintegrated completely,” a pilot interviewed by CNN noted.