Two Air Force jets were scrambled to intercept an Ethiopian plane approaching Israel's airspace without identifying itself Tuesday morning.
The civilian aircraft, carrying some 200 passengers on its way to Israel, failed to follow safety regulations and did not identify itself, apparently due to a technical error in the plane's radio device.
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The plane was identified before landing, and was accompanied by IAF jets to Ben Gurion International Airport, where it landed safely.
An initial investigation revealed that the pilot of the Ethiopian plane did not identify himself on a few stations on the way to Israel. The identification process is meant to verify that the plane was not hijacked on its route and that it does not have hostile intentions.
Control tower workers spotted the plane on its way to Israel around Egypt and activated the emergency procedure.
The IAF pilots made eye contact with the pilot before the plane entered Israeli airspace and indicated that he should make contact and identify himself. The pilot spotted the two jets, understood what was required, made contact and was escorted to a safe landing in Ben Gurion International Airport.
Last year, a misunderstanding between the pilot of a Kazakh aircraft on its way to Israel and the Ben Gurion Airport control tower caused IAF jets to be launched at the "suspicious" plane.
The plane then landed in Larnaca, Cyprus after passing a tight security examination.
About a year-and-a-half ago, a Continental Airlines aircraft carrying 256 passengers was almost intercepted by IAF jets after losing contact with the Ben Gurion control tower. The plane was then escorted to a safe landing.
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