Israel Turns Back Ethiopian Airlines Flight Over Pilot Nationality

Israeli authorities ordered an Ethiopian Airlines cargo flight from Addis Ababa to return to Ethiopia after discovering one of its pilots was an Indonesian citizen. Because Indonesia does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel, the pilot was not authorized to enter Israeli airspace. The aircraft, which departed early Monday, was approximately one hour into its flight and still within Ethiopian airspace when it was denied entry and ordered to turn back, forcing the crew to dump fuel into the sea.

Ethiopian Airlines described the incident as a mistake, stating it was unaware the pilot was barred from the flight. The aircraft eventually landed in Tel Aviv after the Indonesian pilot was replaced in Ethiopia with an authorized crew member.

The incident follows new Israeli restrictions barring crew members from countries without diplomatic relations—including Indonesia, Algeria, Comoros, Libya, Niger, and Somalia—from Israel-bound flights. This policy shift occurred after an Omani co-pilot, Hamam al-Hammami, allegedly attempted to hijack a flydubai flight on September 30 with the intent to crash it into the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport. The sequence of events has sparked criticism of the Israel Transportation Ministry for failing to access crew databases prior to takeoff, as current procedures often result in crew lists being transferred only after departure.