An Ethiopian Airlines flight bound for Tel Aviv was forced to return to Addis Ababa after Israeli authorities reportedly refused permission to land because one of the pilots was Indonesian.
According to Israel’s Channel 12, the aircraft was about an hour into its journey from Addis Ababa and still in Ethiopian airspace when the order was issued on Sunday night into Monday.
The plane returned to Addis Ababa, where the Indonesian pilot was replaced. The aircraft subsequently departed again and was cleared to land in Tel Aviv.
Ethiopian Airlines described the incident as a mistake, saying it had been unaware that the pilot’s nationality prevented him from operating a flight to Israel.
The episode comes amid new Israeli restrictions barring crew members from certain countries that do not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel from serving on Israel-bound flights.
The restrictions reportedly followed an incident last month in which an Omani co-pilot allegedly attempted to hijack a Flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv and crash it.
According to a United Airlines memo, the measures affect at least 10 African countries, including Algeria, Comoros, Libya, Niger and Somalia.
The incident highlights how diplomatic tensions and aviation security rules can directly affect international air travel, forcing airlines to make last-minute changes to flight crews and operations.
