A French air traffic controller has been suspended after yelling “Free Palestine” to pilots operating an El Al flight from Paris to Tel Aviv.
After “Free Palestine” Quip To El Al Flight, French Air Traffic Controller Suspended
Here’s what happened:
- On August 11, 2025, shortly after takeoff from a Tel Aviv-bound flight (TLV) at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), a French air traffic controller transmitted “Free Palestine” to the El Al cockpit over the radio during standard communications.
- Pilots immediately reported the incident to the company, who reported it to Israeli authorities, who reached out to their French counterparts.
- In a statement, El Al said, “El Al views the incident that took place last night, in which a French air traffic controller addressed one of its pilots in an unprofessional and inappropriate manner, with the utmost seriousness. We are addressing the matter with Israeli authorities, who are in contact with their French counterparts. El Al will continue flying around the world with the Israeli flag on its aircraft tails with pride, while upholding professionalism and ensuring the safety and security of its passengers and crews.”
- On August 12, French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot publicly announced the controller’s immediate suspension and confirmed that disciplinary proceedings are already underway, stating, “The punishment must match the severity of the act.”
Tabarot announced the suspension on X:
Unacceptable Conduct From Air Traffic Controller
When an air traffic controller uses the cockpit radio as a political podium, he puts the safety of others a risk. That communication channel is not the appropriate place to express political grievances over a nuanced geopolitical issue.
Regular readers know where I stand on this matter politically…but that’s not really the point here. The point is you are free to believe what you want about Israel or Gaza, but there is a time, place, and manner to dialogue and uttering political barbs while an aircraft is taking off calls into question fitness for duty.
Yes, the people who have been led to believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza are understandably agitated. But lecturing pilots strikes me as the same sort of disgusting intimidation that led a rogue catering employee to scribble “Free Palestine” on Kosher meals on a recent Iberia flight.
> Read More: Iberia Passenger Finds “Free Palestine” Message On Kosher Meal
The El Al Visa Issue
Concurrently, France and Israel are in discussions over he issuance of visas for the security staff El Al employees at every station it serves around the world, including in France. When you fly El Al, you can expect an invasive questioning and a potential additional body search before you even step onto an El Al flight. The Israeli flag carrier says this is necessary due to safety and security concerns.
I happen to be skeptical of that and don’t like the idea of being subject to additional scrutiny on foreign soil (it was bad enough in Israel…). Israel is a sovereign country and has every right to screen people as it wishes before allowing them into Israel, but I also don’t think nations like France or the US should have to facilitate passengers being treated like criminals…
And yet I do understand why El Al does what it does…El Al offices in Paris were vandalized last week. I won’t superficially reduce it to “antisemitism,” but El Al is not necessarily wrong that it faces a unique threat.
CONCLUSION
The air traffic controller deserved to be suspended for his inappropriate political commentary. Even as public anger grows against the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the ongoing war, there is no room for political banter in air traffic control communications. As for the visa issue, I’m far less troubled that El Al is facing some roadblocks for this invasive “security” policy that treats passengers as guilty until proven innocent.
image: Oyoyoy / Wikemedia Commons
If Allah wants Palestine free nothing would stop it. The question remains which God is real.
Allah is real. He just supports Israel and the Jewish people who he lets destroy their Arab/Muslim enemies over and over and over again. It’s like a broken record. The enemies of Israel never learn.
No matter where you stand politically, geopolitically, religion, race, gender, etc…. you CANNOT mix your personal feelings with your job. Period! Do your job professionally, leave your personal side out of it. Now, he should have been fired, not suspended but you know France is the worst country in the world to fire anyone so they probably cannot fire him.
On the matter of “I happen to be skeptical of that and don’t like the idea of being subject to additional scrutiny on foreign soil”, what do you say about boarding flights to the US? You are always questioned about your whereabouts while out of the US, where your bag was, who packed it, etc… Then before you board at the gate, passengers are randomly pulled aside and their carry on is checked like a TSA search. So, the US has been doing this for years as well.
I think (hope) I’ve made clear over the years that I detest this practice by the USA.
Israel did this to me. Where did you stay? Where did you go? What was the bus number that you took to ___ city? How long did you stay? Why did you stay in Israel such a short time? What did you buy?
I suspect they have a database on how much certain consumer items weigh so if you add a hidden weapon, the weight is off.
Not surprising it is a US empire thing too–the lengthy interrogations, invasive questionings to nationals; must be all that “freedom”, “liberty” and “greatness”……gotta love the american propanganda bc it works!
Sure…whatever.
Do a startpage IMAGE search on JEWISH MEDIA CONTROL. Look for an image with small inset photos.
Google, duckduckgo likely won’t have it – jewish censorship. Or maybe you are jewish and already know this.
Almost all editorial positions of note / staff roles at CBS – CNN – ABC – NBC – NY Times are Jewish. And increasing a lot at NPR. It’s not just ownership. So much for not mixing religion…
90% of Jews (Israeli or American) are truly racist by my reckoning.
The reckoning will come soon early 2030s. And it won’t be Iran.
Watch Atrocity, Inc (By Jew Max Blumenthal — one of the good hearted 10%)
Youtube search – 60 minutes Madeline Albright 500,000 Iraqi children [yeah, she’s jewish, note she said WE]
for more fun – start reading UNZ (Also run by one of the 10%). Gaza destruction just makes things more clear…deception going on for many decades – film, news, etc…
…then someday you learn to question the “Holocaust” TM….then the fun really begins…
Be on side or the other…. I respect the opinion of everyone, but on a field like this… politics or personal viewpoints need to be put behind because you are dealing with the lives of Manu
As usual, I am here for the reasoned and thoughtful comments that should be flooding in shortly.
Yep, welcome to the home of the antisemitism travel blog.
Love the free speech here but it’s definitely the preferred home of the most Jew haters since Auschwitz in 1943.
Yes! Critisizing US backed Israel is antisemetic……..Remember the quickest way to end a conversation abt Israel is call the individual “antisemetic” aka weaponization of antisemitism. The antisemitism industry as Zionist propaganda.
“The punishment must match the severity of the act.”
I agree. The punishment should be a discussion between the employee and a supervisor not to do that again. Then back to work. The employee should not be fired just for that.
Do the Israelis want the employee put in prison and his house destroyed? If he has children, starve them and maybe kill one of them. After all, he did something bad.
He was suspended you idiot. And no the Israelis don’t any of that you idiot
On this, we agree.
Maybe Israel should rape and behead the children of Gaza so the punishment is proportionate to the Oct 7th attack? They need to stop feeding them and telling them where they will be attacking. 99% of the Gazan terrorist civilians are still alive somehow after all this genocide and starvation. Go figure?
Strongly disagree….there should be consequences ,
A Suspension without pay for a month seems appropriate….this is not third grade and saying I made a boo boo is not sufficient.
.
Controller knew what he was doing and anyone else feeling frisky should know it will hurt in the pocketbook and
the possibility of future promotions.
Is committing genocide backed the Anglo US empire a “boo boo”?
The transmission was out of line. Not because what was said but when it was said. I have always admired El Al and the preflight scrutiny.
I say sentence him to a weekend with Aaron and his “partners”. His a$$ will be ripped open, obviously not by Aaron himself but by his “friends” so far that he will wish he was a Jew.
You never disappoint us with reveailng how disgusting you are. But then, what to expect from a racist and homophobic nazi such as yourself? And also how obsessed you are with me and gay sex.
Should have never started on me and kept your perversions to yourself. Exactly like you should have done to your dad who went to his grave wondering what he did wrong to have a kid who takes c#ck in his mouth.
No accomplishment you could do in life could ever overcome that to him.
Think about that the next time your a$$ is getting ripped open because you think that’s normal.
Seriously what is your obsession with gay sex? Are you just some closet case with lots of internalized homophobia? I mean, you’re still a vile excuse of human being, but your focuse on gay sex is definitely perplexing, that’s for sure.
I will no longer be reading this blog and will let everyone I know to do the same. If I wanted his political opinions I would ask for it. What other country feeds their enemies. While they are still holding hostages taken during a rape, burn alive and pillage spree. Does the author have an opinion on the only starving people located in Gaza, the Israeli/Jewish hostages??? I doubt it. FAFO!
What are you talking about? Are you some sort of dotard?
https://liveandletsfly.com/i-stand-with-israel/
This isn’t an airport, no need to announce your departure.
I understand that Aeroflot cannot fly to France, but let’s assume they could. Had the ATC person said Slava Ukraini should they have been suspended? Would anyone be upset?
Had the controller said something directed at Jewish people, they of course would be in the wrong. But he didn’t. He expressed a grievance against the state of Israel, in in that regard, I see it as no different than expressing ones support of Ukraine.
Nobody was harmed. Just some feelings got hurt.
Well done to French ATC, I would like to see El-Al banned from European airports until they cease the genocide in Gaza and repair the buildings and infrastructure to the satisfaction of the Palestinian people.
Hear hear. Israel is a terrorist pariah state.
Not anti semitism,it’s anti Netanyahu and his spread of paranoia,death,destruction, now genocide.Also certain major segments of the American media(sean hannity,etc al) fearing for their careers,will always spin spin it that no jew in the history of mankind is capable of any crime or wrongdoing.
Considering that the US empire is funding a terrorist state that is committing genocide, the flight controller is a hero.