Air France says female flight attendants will not be penalized for refusing to fly to Tehran.
On Monday, Air France announced that female flight attendants may refuse to work the company's new route to Iran, for which they must wear a headscarf.
The decision comes after some stewardesses expressed concern and anger over new uniform rules that will require them to wear headscarves on flights from Paris to Tehran.
A note sent to female cabin crew employees requires them to wear a headscarf on their arrival in Tehran. They must also wear the uniform's long-sleeved jacket and trousers, rather than a knee-length dress.
The French national carrier's management met with unions worried that female cabin crew could be disciplined if they declined to work the route.
The company will introduce an exception so that employees who don't want to work on the Paris-Tehran route will be reassigned on other destinations with no sanctions.
Air France plans to start three flights weekly between Paris and Tehran beginning April 17.The airline suspended flights to Iran in 2008 but is resuming the service after international sanctions imposed over Tehran’s nuclear program were recently lifted. Air France already imposes a headscarf rule for female flight attendants flying to destinations such as Saudi Arabia.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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