Indonesian Crew Member Aboard Ethiopian Airlines Cargo Plane Sparks Security Scare

A cargo plane operated by Ethiopian Airlines was forced to return to Addis Ababa early Tuesday after an Indonesian crew member, from a country with no diplomatic ties to Israel, was discovered on board. The aircraft was denied entry and rerouted.

This incident follows a foiled terror attempt on a Flydubai flight, where the system reportedly alerted authorities to the unusual presence on the Ethiopian Airlines flight, unlike the Flydubai case. A planned meeting between UAE officials and Israeli Ministry of Transport representatives this week, concerning the Flydubai incident, was canceled. Conflicting accounts exist regarding the cancellation: one suggests the UAE did not want the meeting to appear political, while another claims Israel requested the postponement. The cancellation effectively halts flights between the UAE and Israel for both Emirati and Israeli airlines, leaving the Tel Aviv-Dubai route inactive.

Meanwhile, Israeli airlines are proactively conducting background checks on pilots of leased aircraft, even before the final conclusions of the Flydubai investigation are released. One airline has hired an Israeli cybersecurity firm to vet over 2,500 foreign flight crew members, examining their social media activity. He had worked for several airlines before joining Flydubai in January 2026, meeting all professional and security requirements.

In a related development, a senior official and several employees at Israel's Ministry of Transport are under investigation by the Lahav 433 fraud squad for potential conflicts of interest. This stems from allegations that Avi Cohen, head of the security department, received approval in 2018 to work privately for airlines he oversees. The Ministry claimed Cohen had permission from the "then-management," referring to former director-general Keren Turner. However, the Civil Service Commission stated they neither approved nor were aware of Cohen's private work, which requires special authorization for his position.