News Desk
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A flydubai flight diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after its pilots got into a physical fight, triggering emergency signals, Reuters reported, citing an Israeli official.
Flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, landed safely at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
Why was the flydubai flight diverted to Saudi Arabia?
An Israeli official said the pilots sent emergency signals after getting into a physical fight. It was not immediately clear whether either pilot deliberately activated them. A spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the incident was not believed to be a hijacking.
Flydubai Flight FZ1073, carrying passengers from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was flying over Jordan when it changed course towards Saudi Arabia, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24. The Boeing 737 first transmitted a general emergency signal and later sent another signal indicating possible unlawful interference. The website showed it then transmitted the general emergency alert again, before the aircraft landed safely at Tabuk.
What have flydubai, Israeli officials and a passenger's family said?
A flydubai spokesperson said the aircraft had experienced an "incident" while en route to Tel Aviv and was diverted to Tabuk, where it landed safely. All passengers were safe and accounted for, the spokesperson said, without elaborating on what had occurred aboard the plane. The Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, gave the account of the pilots' fight.
Netanyahu held consultations following the incident, his office said, describing the situation as "under control." Israeli authorities were working to arrange the return of the passengers to Israel, the statement added.
A passenger's family member provided a more alarming account. Yasmin Abu Kasis said her daughter Miriam, who was aboard the flight, told her she heard screaming and saw a man with a knife who forced a pilot to the floor. She also said her daughter reported seeing blood, and the account could not immediately be independently verified.
Has a flight between the UAE and Israel diverted to Saudi Arabia before?
Yes. A flydubai service from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Riyadh in September 2025 after a medical emergency, according to Israeli media reports at the time. Wednesday's diversion was therefore not the first reported instance of a flight between the UAE and Israel landing in Saudi Arabia.
The diversion brought the aircraft into Saudi Arabia, which does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel. Flydubai operates daily services between Dubai and Tel Aviv, a route frequently used by Israeli travelers.
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