TEL AVIV (Monitoring Desk): Israel has denied landing permission to an Ethiopian Airlines cargo plane because its pilot was an Indonesian national, forcing the aircraft to return to Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa.
According to media reports, Israel has taken measures to prevent aircraft commanded by pilots who are nationals of 31 countries from landing in the country. However, further details about the nature of the restrictions and the list of countries involved have not yet emerged.
According to Israeli media outlets, Ethiopian Airlines subsequently replaced the Indonesian pilot with a pilot from another country, after which the cargo plane departed for Tel Aviv again.
Reports said the Ethiopian Airlines cargo aircraft landed safely in Tel Aviv following the change of pilot.