An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 777 freighter, performing a non scheduled flight from Ethiopia to Singapore, was intercepted as it entered the Indonesian airspace without an overflight permit. The aircraft was escorted by Indonesian F-16 fighter jets to Hang Nadim Airport (BTH) on Batam island, Indonesia. However, according to an Ethiopian Airlines executive quoted by Aviation International News, the flight was modified at the last minute to deliver a Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine to a workshop in Singapore. After landing in Hang Nadim Airport (BTH), the flight crew was taken to a hotel while the plane was secured by military personnel, according to a spokesperson of the Indonesian Air Force. This interception could also be a show of force from Indonesia, as the country desires to take over the control of the flight information region (FIR) over Riau Islands –out of which, Batam.

Source: Ethiopian News January 16, 2019 16:07 UTC