Commercial plane travelling from Dubai to Israel diverted to Saudi Arabia after distress call

Flydubai Flight FZ1073, carrying about 150 Israeli passengers, was en route from Dubai to Tel Aviv when it encountered a dispute between the pilots, an Israeli official disclosed on Wednesday. The Boeing 737 aircraft veered off course, broadcasting emergency signals while traversing Jordanian airspace and ultimately heading towards Saudi Arabia, as per flight-tracking platform Flightradar24.

The Boeing 737 plummeted nearly 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds prior to the first emergency alert, according to Flightradar24's data. Following the initial transmission, the plane subsequently relayed a second emergency signal suggesting possible unlawful interference, before safely touching down at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia, the website reported.

The incident prompted a significant security response in Israel, which holds no official diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia, the landing destination. Despite initial reports speculating a hijacking, Doron Spielman, spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister's office, clarified to Reuters that the situation was not a hijacking, describing it as a "different incident."

Flydubai expressed in a statement that the flight experienced an incident during its journey to Tel Aviv and safely diverted to Tabuk, where all passengers were accounted for and uninjured. An Israeli official, speaking anonymously, shared that the pilots' altercation culminated in the transmission of emergency signals. A passenger, Miriam Abu Kasis, recounted to Reuters that she overheard screams, witnessed a man brandishing a knife forcing one of the pilots to the ground, and observed blood everywhere.

Israel's prime minister's office affirmed that the matter was under control, vowing to take all necessary measures to repatriate the Israeli passengers back to their homeland.