Ethiopian Airlines Cargo Plane Denied Entry to Israel Due to Indonesian Crew Member

An Ethiopian Airlines cargo plane en route to Israel was denied entry and forced to return to Addis Ababa on Monday after it was discovered that an Indonesian crew member, from a country without diplomatic relations with Israel, was aboard. The flight manifest, which includes the crew's nationalities, was reportedly received by the system only after the plane had already departed. Upon realizing the presence of the Indonesian national, Israeli authorities decided to refuse entry and reroute the aircraft.

This incident occurs amidst heightened scrutiny of the Ministry of Transport's security division, following the earlier "Flydubai" incident. Unlike the Flydubai case, where security failures were alleged, in this instance, the system reportedly flagged the unusual crew member's presence. Security officials are calling for a thorough review of the responsible parties' conduct, noting that the Shin Bet had previously warned of security issues at airports in the United Arab Emirates.

According to security sources, the Shin Bet is responsible for all security aspects of Israeli airlines and enforces strict standards, including for chartered foreign flights where all crew members are vetted. These sources claim the Ministry of Transport allowed pilots from countries without diplomatic ties to Israel to fly for Flydubai, a practice they deem contrary to security protocols and a significant failure.

Meanwhile, the repercussions of the Flydubai affair continue for passengers. Flydubai is currently prohibited from resuming its flights to Israel until at least October 30. Passengers with existing tickets have been notified of cancellations, and a new date for resuming operations at Ben Gurion Airport has not yet been set. Travelers to Dubai can fly to Abu Dhabi via Etihad and continue by road, a journey of about an hour.