Air Canada apologizes after Israel erased from the map on some of its planes
Air Canada has apologized after it emerged that some of its fleet displayed maps that appeared to have erased Israel. The carrier’s Boeing 737 MAX fleet were found to have moving maps — part of the in flight entertainment (IFE) system — that did not show Israel as a state, but replaced it with the name “Palestinian territories.” The maps have been deactivated while they are updated. The discrepancy was first noticed by a passenger who flagged it to the company. Air Canada said in a statement that it was found on 40 of its Boeing 737 aircraft. According to the airline’s website, there are 43 737 MAX twinjets in the fleet of more than 350 total aircraft. The IFE in question had been produced by French aerospace group Thales, while the map itself had been produced for Thales by an external company, which has not been named. Air Canada and Thales said in a joint statement, shared with CNN on Thursday, that the issue had been “resolved.” “It was brought to the attention of Air Canada that the interactive map on its Boeing 737 fleet did not consistently portray certain Middle Eastern boundaries, including those of the State of Israel, at all amplification levels,” the statement said. “Air Canada’s policy in general is to display only city names on the maps in its aircraft, and the configuration on this particular system was not compliant with this policy.” The map function was immediately disabled on the aircraft, it added, and the airline has been working with Thales and the map provider to reprogram the planes. A rectified map will be installed on the fleet from March 14. Juancho E Irausquin Airport is the only airport on the Caribbean island of Saba. It has the shortest commercial runway in the world, only 1,299 feet long, and flanked on one side by high hills, with cliffs that drop into the seat at both ends, says PrivateFly. Due to the runway length, only small aircraft and helicopters use it. “Air Canada and Thales apologize for the unease created by this situation,” it concluded.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2025-03-17/star/air-canada-apologizes-after-israel-erased-from-the-map-on-some-of-its-planes
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Air Canada apologizes after Israel erased from the map on some of its planes
Air Canada has apologized after it emerged that some of its fleet displayed maps that appeared to have erased Israel. The carrier’s Boeing 737 MAX fleet were found to have moving maps — part of the in flight entertainment (IFE) system — that did not show Israel as a state, but replaced it with the name “Palestinian territories.” The maps have been deactivated while they are updated. The discrepancy was first noticed by a passenger who flagged it to the company. Air Canada said in a statement that it was found on 40 of its Boeing 737 aircraft. According to the airline’s website, there are 43 737 MAX twinjets in the fleet of more than 350 total aircraft. The IFE in question had been produced by French aerospace group Thales, while the map itself had been produced for Thales by an external company, which has not been named. Air Canada and Thales said in a joint statement, shared with CNN on Thursday, that the issue had been “resolved.” “It was brought to the attention of Air Canada that the interactive map on its Boeing 737 fleet did not consistently portray certain Middle Eastern boundaries, including those of the State of Israel, at all amplification levels,” the statement said. “Air Canada’s policy in general is to display only city names on the maps in its aircraft, and the configuration on this particular system was not compliant with this policy.” The map function was immediately disabled on the aircraft, it added, and the airline has been working with Thales and the map provider to reprogram the planes. A rectified map will be installed on the fleet from March 14. Juancho E Irausquin Airport is the only airport on the Caribbean island of Saba. It has the shortest commercial runway in the world, only 1,299 feet long, and flanked on one side by high hills, with cliffs that drop into the seat at both ends, says PrivateFly. Due to the runway length, only small aircraft and helicopters use it. “Air Canada and Thales apologize for the unease created by this situation,” it concluded.<br/>
