Israel Turns Back Ethiopian Flight Over Indonesian Pilot
The aircraft had been airborne for about an hour out of Addis Ababa and was still over Ethiopia when the order came, the broadcaster said.
According to the report, the pilot’s nationality was flagged to Israeli intelligence and airport authorities. Security officials and the Transportation Ministry then barred the plane from landing.
The jet returned to Addis Ababa, where the pilot was replaced. It then took off again and landed in Tel Aviv.
Ethiopian Airlines called the episode a mistake, saying it did not know the pilot was prohibited from flying to Israel, the report said.
The broadcaster added that Israeli authorities have told foreign carriers not to put crew members from certain countries without diplomatic ties to Israel on flights to the country. The restrictions apply to nationals of Afghanistan, Algeria, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Niger, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Venezuela.
Neither Ethiopian nor Indonesian authorities had commented immediately.
The incident follows an attempted hijacking of a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Sept. 30. Prosecutors in the United Arab Emirates said an Omani co-pilot tried to take control of the aircraft and crash it into Ben Gurion Airport. Passengers and crew foiled the attempt, and the plane landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
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