Israel ordered an Ethiopian Airlines flight bound for Tel Aviv to turn back because one of its pilots was Indonesian, according to Israeli media reports.
The cargo aircraft was approximately an hour into its journey from Addis Ababa and still in Ethiopian airspace when Israeli authorities ordered it to return, Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reported on Monday.
According to the broadcaster, the pilot's nationality had been flagged to Israeli intelligence and airport authorities, prompting security officials and the Transportation Ministry to bar the aircraft from landing.
The plane returned to Addis Ababa, where the Indonesian pilot was replaced before it departed again and landed in Tel Aviv.
Ethiopian Airlines reportedly described the incident as a mistake, saying it had been unaware that the pilot was barred from operating flights to Israel.
The New Arab contacted Ethiopian Airlines for comment but had not received a response by the time of publication.
The incident comes as Israel imposes sweeping nationality-based restrictions on foreign airline crews, barring citizens of several countries without diplomatic relations with Israel from operating flights to the country.
According to Channel 12, Israeli authorities instructed foreign airlines not to assign pilots or crew members from designated countries to flights bound for Israel.
The restrictions reportedly cover nationals of Afghanistan, Algeria, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Niger, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Venezuela.
Israeli authorities have also notified foreign airlines operating flights to Ben Gurion Airport of additional restrictions affecting crew members with dual nationality, according to aviation news website Paddle Your Own Kanoo (PYOK).
The measures reportedly apply to crew members holding citizenship of any of 29 countries on an Israeli list, although PYOK said the restrictions could extend to as many as 31 countries.
Under the rules, even a crew member holding a US passport could be barred from operating a flight to Israel if they also hold citizenship of a country on the restricted list.