Air Canada has apologised after maps displayed on its in-flight entertainment systems reportedly erased Israel, replacing it with “Palestinian territories.” According to a report in CNN, Air Canada’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 airline has deactivated the maps on 40 of its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and is working to rectify the issue.
Air Canada and Thales issue joint statement
The discrepancy, first noticed by a passenger, involved maps produced for French aerospace group Thales. Air Canada and Thales issued a joint statement acknowledging the error and stating that the issue has 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.” Thales added in a separate statement that the map had been provided by a third party.
The map function was immediately disabled, and a rectified map is scheduled to be installed on the fleet starting March 14. Air Canada and Thales apologized for the “unease created by this situation.”
JetBlue, British Airways and Swiss Airlines have faced similar issues in the past
This is not the first time such an incident has occurred in aviation. JetBlue apologized for a similar map issue in 2024, and British Airways faced a similar situation in 2013. In 2018, SWISS confirmed its policy of turning off maps entirely when landing in Tel Aviv following a similar incident. Thales stated that the maps were provided by a third party, and that they are working closely with the airline and the involved third-party to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.