Israel-bound flight diverted after fight between pilots
Despite a brief emergency alert signalling a hijacking, the Israeli prime minister's office confirmed this had been ruled out.
A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Israel was forced to divert to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after the pilots engaged in a physical altercation, according to an Israeli official. The Boeing 737, designated Flight FZ1073, was en route over Jordanian airspace towards Israel when it suddenly altered its course towards Saudi Arabia. The aircraft emitted a general emergency signal, followed by a subsequent signal suggesting possible unlawful interference, as reported by flight-tracking website Flightradar24.
The incident, which was not considered a hijacking, prompted Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold consultations on the matter. Military chief Eyal Zamir also met with the air force commander and other military officials for a situational assessment. Flydubai, which provides regular flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv, has not yet commented on the matter.
The Dubai-Tel Aviv route is a favored travel path for Israeli passengers. It is important to note that Saudi Arabia and Israel do not maintain formal diplomatic relations.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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