Israel ordered an Ethiopian Airlines flight bound for Tel Aviv to turn back because one of its pilots was Indonesian, Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reported on Monday.
The aircraft was about an hour into its flight from Addis Ababa and still in Ethiopian airspace when the order was issued, according to the report.
Channel 12 said Israeli intelligence flagged the pilot’s nationality to airport authorities, prompting security officials and the Transportation Ministry to bar the flight from landing.
The plane returned to Addis Ababa, where the pilot was replaced, before departing again and landing in Tel Aviv.
Ethiopian Airlines described the incident as a mistake, saying it had been unaware that the pilot was barred from operating flights to Israel, the report said.
Channel 12 also reported that Israeli authorities had instructed foreign airlines not to assign crew members from certain countries without diplomatic relations with Israel to flights bound for the country.
The reported restrictions cover nationals of Afghanistan, Algeria, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Niger, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Venezuela.
There was no immediate comment from Ethiopian or Indonesian authorities.
The report comes after an alleged attempted hijacking of a Flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30.
United Arab Emirates prosecutors said an Omani co-pilot had attempted to seize control of the aircraft and crash it into Ben Gurion Airport.
Passengers and crew thwarted the attempt, and the plane landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
