French controller suspended for having shouted the “free Palestine” to Israeli pilots

A French air traffic controller would have been suspended after declaring “free Palestine” during communication with Israeli pilots operating an EL AL plane.

The incident occurred on Monday shortly after the plane took off from Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, according to information. A spokesperson for El Al told Fox News Digital that the airline had seen the incident “with the greatest gravity” and said that the comments of the air traffic controller were “unprofessional and inappropriate”.

“El Al will continue to fly proudly worldwide with the Israeli flag of his plane, maintain professionalism and ensure the security and security of her passengers and crews,” the airline said in a statement.

A plane of airlines of El Al Israel of Israel linked to an arabridge in Roissy Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Terminal of airport 2, on the outskirts of Paris, on May 12, 2025. (Kiran Ridley / AFP via Getty Images)

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The French Minister of Transport, Philippe Tabarot, was quick to respond to the incident and called for an investigation.

“If the facts were confirmed, they would be reprehensible because they would violate the rules of radio communications, which must be limited to the security and regularity of air traffic,” wrote Tabarot in an article on X Monday shortly after the incident. He added that the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) analyzed morning radio communications recordings of the incident.

Tabarot later confirmed on X that the recordings corresponded to what EL AL pointed out and declared that the air traffic controller had been identified and prohibited to exercise functions “until further notice”. The French official also said that disciplinary procedures had been initiated immediately. He also condemned the incident on Wednesday, claiming that the transport industry is not immune to “the rise of anti-Semitism and hateful behavior that exploits the situation in the Middle East”.

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The air traffic controller incident comes in the middle of the challenges for EL AL in France, in particular the vandalization of its Paris office and the temporary judgment of France to renew work visas for its safety staff.

Tuesday, a source of the French government would have confirmed Israel that the renewal of work visas for EL AL security staff had been arrested. The decision would have been linked to the difficulties encountered by French diplomatic staff in security projections.
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A man holds a sign while reading “Free Palestine” during a demonstration towards the Republic in Paris, in France, June 9, 2025. (Reuters / Sarah Meyssiernier / File photo)

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Earlier this month, the offices of Paris d’El Al were coated with red paint as well as pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli graffiti. The words “Palestine Libre” and “El Al Genocide Airline” were painted outside the offices. The Israeli Embassy in France shared photos of the incident, with Minister Plenipotentiary Asaf Moran describing the “climate of a violent incentive and without restraint by certain French elected officials”.

Following the incident of vandalism, the Israeli ambassador to France Joshua Zarka visited the offices of El Al and swore that the Israeli government would be located next to its people and Israeli companies.

The Israeli transport secretary Miri Regev also commented on the incident, appearing him a “barbaric and violent act”. She seemed to blame the French president Emmanuel Macron, who recently announced that France would recognize a Palestinian state. Regev also said that Macron’s statement was a gift for Hamas.

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Tabarot quickly condemned this incident and said that “acts of hatred and anti -Semitism did not have their place in our Republic”.

Regev replied by thanking Tabarot for his “clear and unequivocal words against anti -Semitism”.

“French citizens must understand, today, it’s El Al, tomorrow it could be Air France. We must all act together to condemn anti -Semitism and hatred, all over the world,” wrote Regev.

Fox News Digital contacted Charles de Gaulle airport and the DGAC but did not receive any responses for publication.