A Flydubai flight from
Dubai to Tel Aviv was unexpectedly diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after
an alleged fight broke out between the pilots, according to Israeli officials
speaking to local media.
The aircraft, operating
as flight FZ1073, departed Dubai International Airport in the United Arab
Emirates early Wednesday morning. According to flight tracking website
Flightradar24, the plane transmitted an emergency code roughly two hours into
the journey.
Minutes later, the signal
was switched to indicate a hijacking before reverting to a general emergency
code.
Israeli media, citing
officials, reports that one pilot stabbed the other before being restrained.
Passengers have also shared accounts of a stabbing with local news outlets.
The flight, carrying
approximately 150 people—most of them Israeli—was scheduled to land at
Ben-Gurion Airport but instead touched down at Tabuk Airport in northeastern
Saudi Arabia.
A Flydubai spokesperson
confirmed that the flight "experienced an incident while en route,"
adding that further updates would be provided as more details emerge. "Our
teams are working closely with the relevant authorities," the spokesperson
said.
Flightradar24 data shows
the plane descended rapidly over Saudi Arabia just two hours after takeoff,
dropping more than 17,000 feet (over 5,000 meters) in under two minutes shortly
after 05:21 UTC (06:21 BST).
At 05:40, the flight
briefly entered Jordanian airspace before looping back into Saudi Arabia
minutes later, where it began its descent for landing.
In response to the
incident, the Israeli air force dispatched fighter jets, and Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu held urgent consultations.
In a statement, Netanyahu said the situation is under control and that efforts are underway to bring the Israeli passengers home from Saudi Arabia.