Israel Flight Emergency: What We Know About Possible Pilot Fight
Flight-tracking data shows the Tel Aviv-bound flight suddenly changed course over northwestern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
A flydubai flight from the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv unexpectedly diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after an incident onboard the aircraft, according to the plane's operator. All passengers aboard the flight are reported to be safe and accounted for, stated a spokesperson for the airline to Gulf News. Anonymous sources cited by CNN reported that a violent altercation between two pilots prompted the diversion.
An unnamed Israeli official confirmed to Reuters that the pilots had transmitted emergency signals following a physical confrontation. However, an official did not characterize the incident as a hijacking. Flight tracking data reviewed by Newsweek indicates the aircraft was redirected to Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, shortly before briefly entering Jordanian airspace.
Israeli news outlet i24 News reported that a passenger observed a pilot with stab wounds after a fight in the cockpit. Another traveler claimed a pilot was wounded with a pocketknife. Newsweek has not independently verified these claims. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office reported that they had consulted and were monitoring the situation regarding the flight diversion.
The Israeli authorities emphasized that the incident is under control, and all necessary measures are being taken to safely return the Israeli passengers back to Israel. This is a developing story and will be updated accordingly.
Written by urgent.news from Newsweek's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
