United Bars Crew With Certain Second Passports From Tel Aviv Flights; 777 Diverts to Dublin

October 11, 2026 — United Airlines has told crew members that anyone holding citizenship of certain countries, even alongside a US passport, may no longer work or be on board its Tel Aviv flights. Separately, a United Boeing 777 bound for Milan diverted to Dublin on Saturday after a cockpit windscreen cracked over the Atlantic.

Tel Aviv crew restriction

Live and Let’s Fly published an internal United scheduling alert on October 10. It says Israeli authorities have issued updated requirements on the nationality of crew aboard flights entering Israeli airspace. Crew who hold citizenship, including dual citizenship, of certain countries without formal diplomatic relations with Israel “may not operate or be onboard these flights.”

The rule turns on citizenship, not birthplace or religion, and US citizenship does not exempt anyone. It currently applies to United’s flights to and from Tel Aviv (TLV). United is building the requirement into its crew planning systems and, until then, is asking affected employees to contact Crew Scheduling.

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The memo lists 29 countries and says the list may not be complete: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Brunei, Comoros, Cuba, Djibouti, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Venezuela and Yemen.

The effective date is TBA; the memo as reported gives none. No union response has been reported. The article ties the change to the recent cockpit attack on flydubai flight FZ1073.

777 diverts to Dublin

United flight UA19 left Newark for Milan at about 5:25 p.m. on Friday, October 9. While cruising at about 37,000 feet near Ireland, the main windscreen on the first officer’s side cracked. The Boeing 777-200ER, with as many as 276 people aboard, descended and landed in Dublin early on Saturday, October 10. No injuries were reported and the aircraft was still in Dublin when the report was written.

This account comes from AeroHaber, which credits Paddle Your Own Kanoo as its source. We could not open the original article, and United had not commented.

What it means for non-revs

• Crew with a second passport from a listed country: call Crew Scheduling before your next TLV pairing instead of waiting for the system to catch it.
• Pass riders to Tel Aviv: the memo is written for working crew. The report does not say whether deadheading, jumpseating or non-rev employees are covered, so ask United’s employee travel center before listing if you hold one of these nationalities.
• Other airlines: the requirement comes from Israel, not United, so employees of other carriers flying to TLV should expect similar notices. We have not confirmed any.
• Newark–Milan: one diverted 777 means a planeload of passengers to re-accommodate, so the route and nearby United transatlantic flights may be tight for a day or two.

Sources

• Live and Let’s Fly — United Airlines Memo: U.S. Citizenship Isn’t Enough To Work Israel Flights If You Hold Certain Other Passports
• AeroHaber (crediting Paddle Your Own Kanoo) — United Airlines Boeing 777 Makes ‘Steep Descent’ Over the Atlantic After Cockpit Windscreen Cracks at 37,000 Feet