An Ethiopian Airlines cargo aircraft travelling from Addis Ababa to Israel was reportedly ordered to turn back after Israeli authorities discovered that one of its pilots was an Indonesian national.
The incident occurred overnight between Sunday and Monday, 11 and 12 October 2026, after the aircraft had already departed Ethiopia. According to Israeli media reports, the authorities refused to approve its arrival because Indonesia and Israel do not maintain diplomatic relations.
Reports indicate that Israeli authorities received the flight’s crew list only after the aircraft had taken off. A subsequent review reportedly revealed the Indonesian pilot’s nationality, prompting officials to deny the aircraft permission to proceed to Israel.
According to Ynet, the plane returned to Addis Ababa after releasing fuel over the sea. The Indonesian pilot was subsequently replaced with another pilot cleared to operate the flight to Israel, allowing the aircraft to resume its journey.
The episode has renewed concerns about the procedures used to screen foreign airline crews before flights enter Israeli airspace. Questions have arisen over why the crew information was not provided and checked before departure, despite tighter security requirements reportedly introduced by Israeli authorities.
The incident comes less than two weeks after a serious security scare involving a Flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. In that case, an Omani co-pilot reportedly attacked the captain with a knife in an alleged attempt to crash the aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport. The situation was reportedly brought under control following the intervention of others on board.
The earlier incident raised concerns about how crew members from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel could operate flights into the country without adequate screening. It also prompted renewed scrutiny of the responsibilities of airlines and Israeli authorities in identifying potential security risks.
Following the Flydubai incident, Israel reportedly strengthened its requirements for foreign airlines, restricting crew members who hold citizenship in countries without formal diplomatic relations with Israel from operating or travelling on flights bound for the country.
The latest incident has highlighted the practical challenges of enforcing these requirements when crew details are received only after an aircraft has departed.
Although the Ethiopian Airlines flight was reportedly able to continue its journey after the pilot was replaced, the circumstances have raised further questions about the effectiveness of pre-flight security checks and the coordination between airlines and Israeli authorities.
