{
  "id": 14206311,
  "title": "Israel turns back Ethiopian Airlines cargo flight over Indonesian pilot's nationality",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/israel-turns-back-ethiopian-airlines-cargo-flight-over-indonesian",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-13T13:18:30.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Middle East Eye",
    "slug": "middle-east-eye",
    "url": "https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-turns-back-ethiopian-airlines-cargo-flight-over-indonesian-pilots-nationality"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "An Ethiopian Airlines cargo flight was forced to return to Addis Ababa on Monday after Israeli authorities discovered one of its pilots was Indonesian, a nationality barred from landing in Israel. The plane, en route from Addis Ababa to Tel Aviv, was instructed to circle back to Ethiopia, where the Indonesian pilot was replaced by a pilot from a country whose citizens are permitted to fly to Israel. The cargo flight ultimately continued to Tel Aviv and touched down without incident. Despite Israel's ongoing war on Gaza, and attacks on Lebanon and Iran, Ethiopian Airlines continues to operate flights to and from the country, with plans to increase their frequency. Monday's incident follows a similar event less than two weeks ago involving an Omani pilot allegedly attempting to hijack a Flydubai flight bound for Ben Gurion Airport. Following this, Israel imposed restrictions barring pilots from 31 countries from landing in the country or crossing its airspace.",
  "summary": "Israel turns back Ethiopian Airlines cargo flight over Indonesian pilot's nationality Submitted by Nadav Rapaport on Tue, 10/13/2026 - 13:05 Israel has barred pilots from 31 nationalities from landing in the country amid new restrictions People board an Ethiopian Airlines plane at the Bole International Airport, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 17 March 2020 (Eduardo Soteras/AFP) Off An Ethiopian…",
  "key_points": [
    "Israeli authorities forced cargo flight to return to Addis Ababa.",
    "Indonesian pilot barred from landing in Israel.",
    "Plane continued to Tel Aviv with new pilot from permitted country."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}