Jan 28 (Reuters) - The ban on U.S. travel for passport-holders of seven Middle Eastern states applies to airlines’ flight crew, the International Air Transport Association said in an email to carriers around the world on Saturday.

The email, seen by Reuters, said Friday’s executive order from U.S. President Donald Trump caught airlines unprepared.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection briefed IATA in a Saturday afternoon conference call about the new rules, the email said, noting that passport-holders from states such as Iran, including cabin crew, will be barred entry to the United States. (Reporting By Jeffrey Dastin in Redwood City, California; Editing by Bill Rigby)