A Flydubai passenger aircraft travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Israel was diverted to Saudi Arabia after a “violent incident” involving two pilots, according to CNN.
Flight FZ1073, which was heading to Israel, landed safely at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia after the incident occurred while the aircraft was in flight. Flydubai said all passengers were safe and accounted for.
CNN reported that flight-tracking data showed the aircraft descending sharply from about 34,000 feet to approximately 16,600 feet in just over two minutes while flying over northwestern Saudi Arabia.
The aircraft subsequently transmitted an emergency signal before landing at Tabuk shortly before 3am local time, CNN reported.
Israeli authorities said the incident was not being treated as a hijacking, describing it as an internal personnel incident involving the aircraft’s crew.
Israel scrambled fighter jets after the emergency signal was received, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz held a security consultation.
Netanyahu’s office said the situation was under control and that measures were being taken to safely return the Israeli passengers to Israel.
Flydubai confirmed that the aircraft had experienced an incident while en route and landed at Tabuk Airport. The airline said it was working with the relevant authorities and that the safety and wellbeing of passengers and crew remained its priority.
The diversion resulted in a rare mass arrival of Israeli passengers in Saudi Arabia, a country that does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. Saudi Arabia opened its airspace to Israel-bound flights in 2022, although Riyadh has continued to say it will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
Agencies
