Jakarta. Indonesia has called out Israel for discriminating against one of its nationals after Tel Aviv banned an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft from landing for having an Indonesian pilot.

Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 recently reported that its government had barred the Addis Ababa-Tel Aviv flight from landing because one of the pilots was Indonesian. Israeli authorities have ordered foreign airlines not to have crew members who come from countries without diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv. Indonesia, a staunch pro-Palestine supporter, is on the list alongside Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela. The plane went back to the Ethiopian capital, where they replaced the Indonesian pilot before returning to Tel Aviv.

Asked about the landing ban, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang said Wednesday that every flight authority had the right to set the safety standards for the crew. However, they must take such security measures in an “objective, proportionate, and risk-based manner”. Jakarta refuses such decisions to be taken on “political considerations or one’s nationality”. 

The identity of the pilot isn't disclosed.

“Israel restricts its flight crew from certain countries, including Indonesia, based only on their citizenship. This practice is contrary to the non-discriminatory principle and the spirit of international aviation facilitation,” Yvonne told the Jakarta Globe.

Indonesia to this day doesn’t have diplomatic ties with Israel, thus preventing it from having direct communications. The government has been tapping “every possible communication channel”, including through its diplomatic mission in Ethiopia, to protect the banned pilot.

According to Yvonne, the Ethiopian flag carrier has reassigned the individual in question to other routes. The senior diplomat promised that the government would remain in contact with Ethiopian Airlines to make sure the pilot has "their rights met and faces no further discrimination”.

She went on to say that Ethiopian Airlines ascribed the incident to “a lack of internal coordination”.

“We encourage the carrier to have a comprehensive evaluation to prevent similar incidents.”

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