Sept. 30, 2026, 6:31 a.m. ET
- A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia after the pilots reportedly had a bodily altercation.
- The airplane transmitted emergency alerts, together with one for potential illegal interference, earlier than touchdown safely in Tabuk.
JERUSALEM — A flight certain for Israel from the United Arab Emirates diverted to Saudi Arabia after transmitting emergency alerts following a battle between the pilots, an Israeli official stated on Wednesday.
Flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted over Jordanian airspace in the direction of Saudi Arabia, transmitting a normal emergency sign after which one other emergency sign that indicated potential illegal interference a number of minutes later, in line with flight-tracking web site Flightradar24.
The Boeing 737 airplane, which Israeli media stated had round 150 Israeli passengers on board, then once more transmitted the preliminary normal emergency sign earlier than later touchdown at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia, the web site stated.
The plane’s information appeared to point out that it had all of the sudden and quickly descended by almost 14,000 ft in lower than 30 seconds earlier than the primary emergency sign, Flightradar24 stated.
The emergency alerts triggered a significant safety response in Israel, which has no official diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia, the place the airplane landed. The incident highlighted the potential dangers on a route that has change into in style amongst Israeli nationals because the UAE and Israel normalized ties 6 years in the past.
Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister’s workplace, advised Reuters the incident was not believed to have been a hijacking, describing it as a “completely different incident”.
An airline spokesperson stated the flydubai flight skilled an “incident” en path to Tel Aviv and diverted to Tabuk, the place it landed safely. All passengers had been secure and accounted for, the spokesperson stated, with out offering any additional particulars.
An Israeli official, talking on the situation of anonymity, advised Reuters the pilots had transmitted the emergency alerts after getting right into a bodily altercation with one another.
It was not instantly clear if both pilot had deliberately transmitted the alerts.
Yasmin Abu Kasis stated her daughter Miriam, who was among the many passengers on the flight, had advised her that she had heard screaming and {that a} man holding a knife had compelled one of many pilots onto the ground, and that there was blood all over the place.
Israeli media printed a photograph purportedly taken from contained in the airplane, which appeared to point out a passenger’s blood-soaked shirt. Reuters couldn’t instantly confirm the picture.
In an announcement, the Israeli prime minister’s workplace stated the state of affairs was “beneath management” and that every one measures had been being taken to deliver the Israeli passengers again to Israel.
Flydubai operates each day return flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv, a route that’s in style amongst Israeli nationals. The flight path usually makes use of airspace over Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
It isn’t the primary time a flight between Israel and the UAE has landed in Saudi Arabia. A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency touchdown in Riyadh in September 2025 as a consequence of a medical incident, Israeli media reported on the time.
