Sina Amjadian

Barred, not charged. The claims against Sina Amjadian are unverified social-media allegations; he has not been charged with any crime, and this page documents a debarment decision, not adjudicated conduct.

Introduction

Sina Amjadian is a Los Angeles-based United Airlines pilot of Iranian descent whom Israel barred from entering the country as a flight crew member in October 2026, after the Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry forwarded information about his social media activity to Israeli security agencies. The Transportation Ministry notified United Airlines that flights crewed by Amjadian would not be permitted to arrive in Israel . The move landed weeks after an attempted hijacking aboard a flydubai flight en route to Tel Aviv, which prompted Israeli authorities to expand monitoring of foreign aircrews .

Background Information

Amjadian’s Instagram bio describes him as “Persian made” and based out of Los Angeles International Airport, with a heart icon next to IKA, the abbreviation for Tehran’s international airport. Recent reports indicate he resides in Dubai, and his LinkedIn profile states he previously worked for flydubai before joining United. United confirmed it received Israel’s directive; the Transportation Ministry clarified to the airline that Amjadian flies only domestic routes within the United States and to Canada, and is not scheduled to operate any flights to Israel .

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

In an October 19 letter obtained by Israeli media, Diaspora Affairs Ministry Director General Avi Cohen Scali alerted the Shin Bet chief and the Transportation Ministry director general to allegations circulating on X — including that Amjadian had shared a video in which he kissed and saluted the Iranian regime’s emblem, and that he had expressed support for the Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah. Among the content Israeli officials reviewed were posts featuring Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, alongside Islamic Republic flags while criticizing Israeli military strikes in Iran, and a June 2025 Instagram story mourning a Mahan Air flight attendant reportedly killed in an Israeli strike on her home, captioned in English: “Since when did aircrew become military targets?!” .

Crucially, the allegations were not verified. Ynet reported that the claims were “circulated by other users on X, rather than through original statements or posts by Amjadian presented to Israeli authorities,” that they were not independently verified, and that the material submitted to officials did not include the pilot’s own posts. After a security review that the Transportation Ministry said was passed to intelligence and defense agencies, “the recommendation of the professional bodies was clear — not to allow his arrival in Israel as a member of an aircrew,” and a formal notice went to United .

Public Reaction and Consequences

Israel’s decision drew attention precisely because of its mismatch with Amjadian’s actual assignments: the Transportation Ministry clarified to United that he flies only domestic US and Canada routes and was not scheduled to operate any flights to Israel, so the directive changes no existing flight assignments and no affected flights have been identified. The case nevertheless became a test of the stricter vetting applied to foreign airline crews after the flydubai incident, and of how unverified social-media claims can trigger formal security action against a working pilot . United had not responded to requests for comment at the time of Ynet’s report, and no public statement from Amjadian was reported .

Current Status

The bar remains in place: Amjadian’s details were submitted to the Israeli Aviation Security Center and the Population and Immigration Authority to block his entry as crew, and Israeli officials are reviewing foreign-crew approval procedures introduced after the flydubai attempt. No criminal charge or law-enforcement action has been reported against him in the United States, and the allegations themselves remain unverified claims by third-party social-media users .

Impact on Their Career/Life

Amjadian keeps his United employment and his current routes, but he is permanently flagged in Israeli aviation security systems, and the episode demonstrates that a pilot’s off-duty social media can now be escalated — through a diaspora-affairs ministry, intelligence review, and a formal airline notice — into an operational restriction without any verified finding against him. For United, the case is a new vetting question for Israel routes; for Amjadian, the public association of his name with unverified regime-support claims is now attached to international coverage of his identity as a pilot .

Sources

• The Jerusalem Post, “Israel bans United Airlines pilot over pro-Iranian regime social media posts,” October 21, 2026 — source
• Ynetnews, “United Airlines pilot barred from flying to Israel over alleged support for Iran, Hez,” October 2026 — source
• New York Post, “California-based pilot sparks security fears after pro-terrorist posts,” October 22, 2026 — source