Ethiopian Cargo Plane Diverted Over Crew Member's Citizenship

By אלי פרוש

Translated & summarized from JDN by baba

ReligiousNeutral tone

Hebrew · 12 newsrooms covering

Plus

An Ethiopian Airlines cargo plane bound for Israel was diverted back to Addis Ababa after a crew member was found to hold Indonesian citizenship, a violation of new security rules. The security check occurred after the plane had already taken off, highlighting a gap in vetting procedures for aircrew. This incident follows a recent attempted hijacking on a Flydubai flight and raises concerns about the timely screening of flight personnel from countries without diplomatic ties to Israel.

The story in 6 lines · by baba

An Ethiopian Airlines cargo plane was diverted from its flight to Israel due to a crew member's Indonesian citizenship.
Indonesia lacks diplomatic relations with Israel, making the crew member's presence a security violation.
The security identification occurred after the plane had already departed Addis Ababa.
New security directives require airlines to vet crew members from countries without diplomatic ties to Israel.
The incident follows a recent attempted hijacking on a Flydubai flight, increasing security scrutiny.
Over 1,200 aircrew from countries without diplomatic ties to Israel entered the country this year.

Ethiopian Cargo Plane Diverted Over Crew Member's Citizenship — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

An Ethiopian Airlines cargo plane en route to Ben Gurion Airport was forced to turn back to Addis Ababa after Israeli security detected a crew member holding Indonesian citizenship. Indonesia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, and the presence of an Indonesian citizen on a flight to Israel violates new security directives issued to foreign airlines. The decision was made not to allow the plane to continue its journey, necessitating its return to Ethiopia. This incident, which concluded without the plane landing in Israel, has reignited questions about the screening process for aircrew on flights entering the country.

The core issue highlighted by the event is the timing of the security information. According to reports, the crew member's identity was only flagged after the plane had already departed Addis Ababa. Following a recent attempted attack on a Flydubai flight, security requirements for foreign airlines were tightened. Airlines are now required to ensure aircrew have up-to-date security background checks and that no crew members with citizenship, including dual citizenship, from countries without diplomatic ties to Israel are assigned to flights to the country.

However, this case illustrates a gap between policy and practice. While passenger information is typically transmitted to authorities well before a flight, details about aircrew may reach security systems only near departure or even after takeoff. The incident occurs amidst heightened security concerns following a serious incident on a Flydubai flight, where the co-pilot, an Omani citizen, allegedly attempted to hijack the plane with the intent of crashing it in Israel. This event revealed that over 1,200 aircrew members from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel had entered the country this year, according to data presented in a closed Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting.

The situation has raised questions about the responsibility of the Ministry of Transportation, airlines, and security agencies in vetting foreign crew members. New security directives were issued to prevent similar occurrences. The Ethiopian cargo plane incident underscores the challenge of ensuring all crew members on flights to Israel are vetted before departure, rather than after the aircraft is already airborne. Although Israel's control system identified the anomaly and prevented the plane from entering, the fact that this occurred post-takeoff points to difficulties in information transfer timing and procedure enforcement.