A French air traffic controller has reportedly been suspended after declaring “Free Palestine” while communicating with Israeli pilots operating an El Al aircraft.
The incident occurred on Monday shortly after the plane took off from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, according to reports. A spokesperson for El Al told Fox News Digital that the airline viewed the incident “with utmost severity” and said the air traffic controller’s comments were “unprofessional and inappropriate.”
“EL AL will continue to fly proudly around the world with the Israeli flag on its aircraft, upholding professionalism and ensuring the safety and security of its passengers and crews,” the airline said in a statement.
A plane of Israel’s El Al Israel Airlines connected to an airbridge at Roissy Charles de Gaulle (CDG) International airport Terminal 2, on the outskirts of Paris, on May 12, 2025. (Kiran Ridley/AFP via Getty Images)
Earlier this month, El Al’s Paris offices were smeared with red paint as well as pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel graffiti. The words “Free Palestine” and “El Al Genocide Airline” were painted on the exterior of the offices. The Israeli Embassy in France shared photos of the incident, with Minister Plenipotentiary Asaf Moran decrying the “climate of violent and unrestrained incitement by certain French elected officials.”
Following the vandalism incident, Israeli Ambassador to France Joshua Zarka visited El Al’s Paris offices and vowed that Israel’s government would stand by its people and Israeli businesses.
Israeli Transportation Secretary Miri Regev also commented on the incident, calling it a “barbaric and violent act.” She seemed to blame French President Emmanuel Macron, who recently announced that France would recognize a Palestinian state. Regev also said Macron’s statement was a gift to Hamas.
Tabarot quickly condemned this incident as well and said that “acts of hatred and antisemitism have no place in our republic.”
Regev responded by thanking Tabarot for his “clear and unequivocal words against antisemitism.”
“French citizens must understand, today it’s El Al, tomorrow it could be Air France. We must all act together to condemn antisemitism and hatred, everywhere in the world,” Regev wrote.
Fox News Digital reached out to Charles de Gaulle Airport and DGAC but did not receive responses in time for publication.
