Finally, Iran is opening up to tourism, and after eight long @ss years, Air France will begin flying three times a week between Paris and Tehran starting in April, now that economic sanctions on Iran have been lifted.
About time we say!
Interest in Iran from the Aussie travel market has been growing steadily over the last few years, with 4.67 million people visiting in 2013 compared to 1.76 million in 2006.
But the new Air France service is not without its own little controversy.
According to a memo authored by the airline’s management, all female flight attendents must wear the pants version of their uniform on the flights to Tehran – rather than the skirt option.
Further to that, they must also wear loose-fitting jackets and headscarfs before exiting their planes on arrival in Iran.
The new instructions have caused quite the stir among Air France’s female crew, with union leaders claiming that the new uniform instructions infringe upon the attendants’ personal freedoms.
“They are forcing us to wear an ostentatious religious symbol. We have to let the girls choose what they want to wear. Those that don’t want to must be able to say they don’t want to work on those flights.”
Françoise Redolfi, union leader speaking to The Guardian
Union leaders are also claiming new instructions are illegal under French law: In France, being told to wear an “ostentations religious sign,” such as a headscarf, is not permitted. (People are not allowed to wear headscarves in government offices or schools within France, and wearing a full veil in public is illegal).
Air France said it already required staff to wear abayas over their bodies during stops in Saudi Arabia, and the new regulations were not out of the ordinary.
