By Mansour Al-Maswari
(Albawaba) — Israeli authorities ordered an Ethiopian Airlines flight bound for Tel Aviv to return to Addis Ababa after discovering that one of its pilots was Indonesian, in one of the first reported cases of enforcement under tightened crew-nationality restrictions introduced following an alleged attempted hijacking aboard a Flydubai flight. The incident occred overnight between Sunday, October 11, and Monday, October 12, 2026
The aircraft was about an hour into its journey and still in Ethiopian airspace when Israeli authorities reportedly barred it from landing. It returned to Addis Ababa, where Israeli authorities replaced the Indonesian pilot, before the flight resumed and landed in Tel Aviv, according to Israel’s Channel 12 and other media reports.
Ethiopian Airlines described the incident as a mistake, saying it was unaware the pilot was prohibited from operating flights to Israel. Indonesia does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel.
The restrictions follow a September 30 incident aboard Flydubai flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. According to UAE prosecutors, the flight’s Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked the Indian captain with a sharp instrument and attempted to seize control of the aircraft to crash it into Ben Gurion Airport.
Passengers and crew intervened, and the aircraft made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The allegations remain part of the criminal investigation.
The incident prompted Israeli authorities to tighten checks on pilots and flight crews operating services to the country.
Israeli media have reported that airlines were instructed not to assign crew members from certain countries lacking diplomatic relations with Israel to Israel-bound flights.
The reported restrictions cover nationals of several countries, including Indonesia, Oman, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Qatar, Kuwait and Lebanon. The Ethiopian Airlines incident highlights the operational implications for international carriers, which must verify crew members’ nationalities and adjust assignments to comply with Israel’s requirements.
