Flydubai Flight to Tel Aviv Diverted to Saudi Arabia After Mid-Air Incident in Cockpit

Flydubai flight FZ 1073 travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after an incident in the cockpit that left both pilots injured, according to CNN and Gulf Business.

The airline confirmed the Boeing 737 “experienced an incident while en route” and landed safely at Tabuk Airport, adding that all passengers were safe and accounted for and that it was working closely with the relevant authorities.

An Israeli official told Reuters the emergency signals were transmitted after the two pilots became involved in a physical altercation, though it remained unclear whether either pilot deliberately activated the alerts. Flight-tracking data reviewed by CNN showed the aircraft descending from around 34,000 feet to roughly 16,600 feet in just over two minutes before transmitting an emergency signal and landing in Saudi Arabia.

The alerts prompted a major Israeli security response: the military scrambled fighter jets while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz held security consultations. An Israeli official said the incident was not a hijacking but an internal personnel matter, although Israeli media later reported that authorities had not ruled out whether one of the pilots had intended to crash the aircraft.

Tabuk Airport said both the captain and the co-pilot sustained injuries and were taken to hospital. The emergency landing marked a rare arrival of more than 100 Israeli passengers in Saudi Arabia, which has no diplomatic relations with Israel, and Netanyahu’s office said measures were being taken to return them safely to Israel. The story is developing.

Sources

• CNN
• Gulf Business