Air Canada has apologized after learning that at least 40 of its aircraft did not display Israel as a state on their in-flight entertainment systems. Instead of showing Israel, the map on the carrier’s Boeing 737 MAX fleet showed “Palestinian territories.” This issue arose amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and was first noticed by a passenger, who alerted the airline.
After an internal investigation, Air Canada told CNN that the issue affected approximately 40 of its planes. In a joint statement with the French aerospace group Thales, which provides the in-flight entertainment systems, both companies issued an apology and explained the situation. A third company, which created the map, remains unidentified.
“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 airline’s statement read.
Air Canada, which uses city names on maps as a general policy, added that the “configuration on this particular system was not compliant with this policy.” The airline emphasized that the situation had been resolved quickly. “The planes had their map function immediately disabled, and a revised map was already installed by Friday.”
The controversy has garnered criticism online, with some passengers questioning the omission of Israel from the map, particularly in light of the ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
