Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest airline, has become the first reported carrier to have a flight turned back under Israel’s new restrictions on foreign airline crew after one of its pilots was identified as an Indonesian national.
- Ethiopian Airlines had a Tel Aviv-bound flight turned back because one of its pilots was an Indonesian national, restricted under new Israeli rules.
- The plane returned to Addis Ababa, replaced the pilot, and then completed the journey to Tel Aviv.
- Israel's new restrictions bar airline crew from countries without diplomatic relations, following a recent security incident involving an Omani co-pilot.
- The policy affects crew from 29 to 31 countries, including 10 in Africa, and poses operational challenges for international airlines.
The Ethiopian Airlines flight was about an hour into its journey and still in Ethiopian airspace when Israeli authorities ordered it to turn back after identifying an Indonesian pilot on board, The Jerusalem Post reported, citing Israeli broadcaster N12.
The aircraft returned to Addis Ababa, where the pilot was replaced, before departing again and landing in Tel Aviv. Indonesia has no diplomatic relations with Israel, and its nationals are subject to restrictions on operating flights to the country.
Ethiopian Airlines described the incident as a mistake, saying it had been unaware that the pilot was barred from operating flights to Israel.
The episode is the first widely reported case of a flight being turned back under Israel’s new crew restrictions, which require international airlines to verify crew eligibility and adjust flight assignments accordingly.
10 African countries caught up in Israel’s restrictions
Israel introduced the new restrictions on foreign flight crew on October 7, following a September 30 incident aboard a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, where an Omani co-pilot allegedly attacked the captain and attempted to seize control of the aircraft. The plane landed safely in Saudi Arabia.
The new rules bar pilots and cabin crew holding citizenship, including dual nationality, of certain countries without formal diplomatic relations with Israel from operating flights entering Israeli airspace.
An internal United Airlines memo, reported by aviation publication Live and Let’s Fly and covered in an earlier Business Insider Africa report, identified 10 African countries whose nationals could be affected: Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Somalia, Sudan and Tunisia.
The memo listed 29 countries worldwide. A separate report on Air France’s guidance cited 31 countries, indicating that the lists circulated among airlines differ.
The restrictions place an additional burden on international airlines, which must verify crew members’ citizenship and adjust flight assignments to comply with Israeli requirements.
Dual nationals may also be affected, meaning that holding a second passport does not necessarily exempt a crew member from the rules.
For Ethiopian Airlines, the incident resulted in a flight diversion back to its departure point and a crew change before the journey could continue. For other carriers serving Israel, the rules introduce an additional operational consideration as airlines review crew eligibility for Tel Aviv-bound services.