Israel turned back an Ethiopian Airlines flight over an Indonesian pilot, while reported crew restrictions cover nationals of 11 countries

Israeli authorities ordered an Ethiopian Airlines flight bound for Tel Aviv to return to Addis Ababa after learning that one of its pilots was Indonesian, Channel 12 reported. The aircraft had been airborne for about an hour and was still in Ethiopian airspace when Israeli intelligence flagged the pilot’s nationality to airport authorities, the broadcaster said.

The aircraft returned to Addis Ababa, where the pilot was replaced, then departed again and landed in Tel Aviv. Ethiopian Airlines described the incident as a mistake, saying it had not known the pilot was barred from operating flights to Israel.