Air France caught in race row for forcing non-Jewish woman off flight to Israel

Air France has been fined 13,000 euros (£11,000) for 'racial discrimination' after a pro-Palestine activist was removed from a plane as she travelled to Israel for a rally.

A French court ordered the airline to pay a fine, damages and interest on Thursday.

The incident reportedly saw a flight attendant question passenger Horia Ankour about her ethnicity before she was removed from the plane, UPI.com reports.

The 30-year-old French student was asked if she had an Israeli passport and if she was Jewish on the flight from Nice to Tel Aviv in April 2012 and answered "No" to both questions before she was forced off the plane.

The BBC reports that the court found Air France guilty of racial discrimination.

Air France lawyer Fabrice Pradon said the airline would appeal as Israel said she would not be allowed in the country as she was blacklisted.

In 2009, Air France was accused of racial bias when a plane from America to Mumbai was diverted to Paris due to a technical problem and passengers had to spend 28 hours in Paris.

Around 50 Indian passengers flying with the airline claimed they were confined to a lounge at the airport and given hardly any water or food, while other travellers with valid transit visas were put up in nearby hotels for the night.

Air France responded saying that passengers were taken care of and that it regretted "any and all inconvenience caused to the passengers due to this incident."

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