- A Flydubai flight FZ 1073 took off from Dubai International Airport early Wednesday morning.
- Two hours into the journey, the plane signaled an emergency code, then briefly switched to a hijacking code before reverting to the general emergency signal.
- The aircraft descended 17,400 feet over northwestern Saudi Arabia in just over two minutes.
- The plane landed at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, carrying around 150 people, most of whom are Israeli.
- Israeli fighter jets were scrambled and Prime Minister Netanyahu held urgent consultations.
- Israeli officials confirmed the incident was not a hijacking but an internal personnel incident between the pilot and co-pilot.
- The incident was caused by a violent altercation between the pilot and co-pilot.
- The emergency landing in Tabuk marked a rare mass arrival of Israelis in Saudi Arabia, which has no diplomatic relations with Israel.
- Saudi Arabia opened its airspace to Israel-bound flights and Israeli airlines in 2022 as part of a US-brokered normalization push.
A flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia after a violent incident between the pilot and co-pilot triggered an emergency signal. The Flydubai aircraft, carrying around 150 passengers, descended rapidly from 34,000 to 16,600 feet over northwestern Saudi Arabia.
The emergency signal was transmitted at 1:32 a.m. ET, and the plane landed safely at Tabuk Airport just before 3 a.m. ET. Israeli officials confirmed that the incident was not a hijacking but rather an internal personnel issue onboard.46
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held urgent consultations following the incident, and Israeli fighter jets were scrambled in response to the emergency signal. A Flydubai spokesperson stated that all passengers were safe and accounted for, and measures were being taken to return them to Israel.5
This incident marks a rare mass arrival of Israelis in Saudi Arabia, a country that has no diplomatic relations with Israel. Saudi Arabia opened its airspace to Israel-bound flights in 2022 as part of a US-brokered normalization effort, although Riyadh maintains it will not establish diplomatic relations without an independent Palestinian state.89
“The aircraft descended 17,400 feet in just over two minutes before landing at Tabuk Airport, marking a rare mass arrival of Israelis in Saudi Arabia, which has no diplomatic relations with Israel. Saudi Arabia opened its airspace to Israel-bound flights in 2022 as part of a US-brokered normalization push.”
BBC
