Israel bars Pakistani pilots, cabin crew from flights entering its airspace

Pakistani pilots and cabin crew are barred from serving on flights entering Israeli airspace under new restrictions, according to media reports, after a hijacking attempt last month on a flight travelling from the UAE to Israel, in which Indian Captain Smit Machchhar was injured while foiling the suspected plot.

Israel's public broadcaster Kan reported that the Transportation Ministry's Aviation Security Operations Centre has issued the new and updated directives following the hijacking attempt.

According to Israeli broadcaster N12, the ministry had informed foreign airlines about the restrictions on October 1.

The restrictions followed the hijacking incident on September 30, when a flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia after its Omani co-pilot attacked Captain Machchhar and attempted to seize control of the aircraft and crash the plane into Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport.

According to the new directive, pilots and cabin crew operating flights