British Airways has paused plans to stream a Jewish sitcom on its flights owing to alleged concerns it could trigger a backlash in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.

The airline delayed plans to add the comedy series Hapless, which has been shown on Netflix and Amazon Prime, to its in-flight entertainment system to avoid any appearance of taking sides in the ongoing conflict.

The satire follows misadventures of a London-based cynical journalist for a fictional Jewish newspaper and has been called the British version of  the US sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm.

British Airways in August agreed to buy the first season with plans to make it available for passengers to watch for six months from December.

However, the airline paused the £20,000 deal just days after the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel on Oct 7.

Gary Sinyor, the writer and director, was informed of the decision by Spafax Media, an international media specialist hired by airlines to secure licensing rights to movies and television shows for in-flight entertainment.

The award-winning director, who is Jewish, claimed he was told that British Airways did not want to “take sides” in the conflict by screening the six-episode season and wanted to delay the deal until after the war was over.

An email sent from Spafax to Mr Sinyor on Oct 13, seen by The Telegraph, said: “BA Press office have asked us to review content on board and being booked in relation to Israel/Palestine and the conflict currently happening. Their preference is to remain as neutral in these situations as possible.

“As a result we’ve been asked to remove Hapless from the December line-up but are very happy to book this once the conflict dies down.”

The filmmaker has since repeatedly challenged this decision, describing it as “nonsensical”.

Mr Sinyor told The Telegraph: “The series has nothing to do with Israel-Palestine. I mean, other than that the Jewish people live in Israel and that Israel is a Jewish state, it has nothing to do with it.

“I think what it shows is a fear of being perceived as being pro Israel just because it’s got Jewish characters in it.”

Spafax, which is owned by British advertising giant WPP, last week told Mr Sinyor that British Airways is “still reluctant to get back to normal programming”.

A British Airways spokesman on Friday said: “We are proud to offer a wide range of entertainment options for our customers to enjoy. We are constantly reviewing our content and are in the process of planning our 2024 schedule.”

Mr Sinyor said that delaying the screening in the first place was a “shocking” decision.

“It’s overcautious and if that’s reflected in British society then I think the Jewish community here would be concerned,” he said.

“I think that the Muslim community would be concerned as well if they found that things that had Muslim humour in them, or Muslim content or were being made by Muslim filmmakers were being vetoed in this way, even if it’s a temporary veto.”

Spafax Media has been contacted for comment.