An Ethiopian Airlines cargo plane that took off from Addis Ababa in the early hours of Monday was denied permission to enter Israeli airspace after authorities discovered that one of its pilots was an Indonesian national, from a country that has no diplomatic relations with Israel.

Axar.az reports, citing Ynet Global, that the aircraft was forced to turn back, raising fresh questions about aviation security procedures following the attempted hijacking of a flydubai flight.

The flight manifest was received by Israeli authorities only after the aircraft had departed Ethiopia. A subsequent check revealed that one of the pilots held Indonesian citizenship. The plane was refused entry into Israeli airspace and returned to Addis Ababa, dumping fuel over the sea during the flight. At the Ethiopian airport, the Indonesian pilot was replaced by another pilot authorized to enter Israel's Ben Gurion Airport.

The incident suggests that tighter enforcement and updated instructions for screening foreign aircrews are beginning to take effect following the flydubai hijacking attempt. Unlike in that case, the authorities responsible for identifying pilots and other crew members who are not authorized to enter Israeli airspace appear to have acted as required.