An Ethiopian Airlines cargo aircraft bound for Tel Aviv was forced to return to Addis Ababa after Israeli authorities refused it permission to land because one of its pilots was an Indonesian national, according to media reports published on Tuesday.
The aircraft had been about an hour into its journey from Addis Ababa when Israeli authorities issued the order, while the plane was reportedly still in Ethiopian airspace. The flight subsequently returned to Ethiopia, where the Indonesian pilot was replaced before the aircraft departed again for Tel Aviv and was allowed to land.
Ethiopian Airlines described the incident as a mistake, saying it had been unaware that the pilot was barred from operating flights to Israel, according to the reports. There was no immediate public comment from Indonesian authorities.
The incident comes amid tighter aviation security restrictions introduced by Israel following an alleged attempted hijacking involving a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30. United Arab Emirates prosecutors said an Omani co-pilot had attempted to seize control of the aircraft and crash it into Ben Gurion Airport. Passengers and crew intervened, and the aircraft landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Following the incident, Israeli authorities reportedly instructed foreign airlines not to assign crew members from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel to flights bound for the country. Indonesia is among the countries affected by the restrictions.
Israel and Indonesia do not maintain formal diplomatic relations. Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim majority country, has long supported Palestinian statehood and has no formal diplomatic ties with Israel.
The Ethiopian Airlines incident has also raised questions about when airlines submit crew information for security screening. Israeli media reported that the flight’s crew list was received only after the aircraft had taken off, meaning the pilot’s nationality was identified after departure.
The episode highlights the operational consequences of the new restrictions for international airlines and the importance of verifying crew eligibility before departure. It also places renewed attention on coordination between airlines and authorities responsible for aviation security.
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