Flydubai flight to Tel Aviv lands in Saudi Arabia after distress code

A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted to Saudi Arabia after transmitting emergency signals. The incident occurred when the pilots got into a physical altercation, according to an Israeli official. The Boeing 737 aircraft transmitted a general emergency signal, followed by a signal indicating possible unlawful interference, before landing safely at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia.

The incident briefly raised concerns about a possible hijacking, prompting Israel to scramble warplanes. However, it is now believed that the incident was caused by a fight between the pilots, and not a hijacking. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office said the incident was not believed to have involved a hijacking.

All passengers on board were safe and accounted for, according to a Flydubai spokesperson. The airline confirmed that the flight experienced an "incident" en route to Tel Aviv and diverted to Tabuk, where it landed safely. One passenger's mother reported that her daughter had heard screaming on the flight.

Brief written by urgent.news from Al-Monitor, Dawn, Kyiv Post, ABC News AU, Winnipeg Free Press — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.