Air France’s requirement that female cabin crew wear a headscarf when they disembark the plane in Tehran has been met with dismay, according to reports.
The airline will resume its service to the Iranian capital on April 17
Although not new, the ruling was reiterated in a memo sent by company bosses, informing female staff that they would be required to “wear trousers during the flight with a loose fitting jacket and a scarf covering their hair on leaving the plane”, ABC reported.
Christophe Pillet of the SNPNC union reported a burst of calls from concerned female cabin crew reluctant to wear the headscarf, and said the union was talking to Air France management in order to make it voluntary.
However, the airline insisted that the requirement is in line with Iranian law which requires women cover their hair with a veil in public places.
It stressed that all international airlines that serve Iran respect the obligation.
The airline suspended its services to Tehran in 2008 when international sanctions were imposed on Iran as a result of its nuclear policy. It announced its return back in December.
