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A Flydubai flight headed for Israel made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia Wednesday after a reported fight between the pilots triggered a distress alert, raising fears of a possible hijacking and prompting Israel to scramble fighter jets.
The Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, and everyone aboard was reported safe, according to officials.
A regional official briefed on the incident said an altercation broke out in the cockpit and apparently involved the pilots, though it was not immediately clear what sparked the confrontation. Israeli media, citing security officials, also reported that a dispute between the two pilots was behind the emergency.
The incident prompted an immediate security response in Israel, where authorities initially feared the plane — carrying dozens of Israeli citizens — could have been hijacked. A second official confirmed that Israel scrambled fighter jets as the situation unfolded.
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Israeli tourists leave a FlyDubai plane which departed from Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv and landed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Malak Harb)
The aircraft transmitted an emergency alert during the flight, according to publicly available flight-tracking information. Flight FZ1073 had departed Dubai and was headed for Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv before diverting to Tabuk.
Passengers described a tense scene aboard the aircraft as the emergency unfolded. Travelers told Israel’s Channel 12 by phone that they heard shouting from passengers near the front of the plane who had apparently heard the cockpit altercation. They also said the aircraft dipped steeply before landing in Saudi Arabia.
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After landing, passengers remained aboard the plane as a heavy Saudi security presence surrounded the aircraft, according to their accounts to the Israeli outlet.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office later said the situation was under control and that Israeli authorities were working to bring the passengers home. The scare came as Netanyahu has warned in recent days about unspecified heightened security threats facing Israel.
Flydubai later confirmed that FZ1073 had experienced an incident while traveling to Ben Gurion Airport and landed safely in Tabuk.
“Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities,” the carrier said. “Further updates will be issued as additional confirmed details become available.”
The exact circumstances surrounding the reported cockpit confrontation remained unclear Wednesday.
While disputes between pilots serious enough to affect a flight are rare, similar incidents have occurred. Two Air France pilots were suspended in 2022 after fighting in the cockpit during a flight from Geneva to Paris. That aircraft did not divert and landed as scheduled.
The initial hijacking fears carried particular weight in Israel, where aviation security has long been shaped by a history of attacks on Israeli travelers and aircraft. Palestinian militants carried out a series of hijackings and attacks involving Israelis during the 1960s and 1970s. Israel has not experienced an aircraft hijacking in decades and maintains stringent security procedures for Israel-bound flights.
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Flydubai is a lower-cost sister carrier of Emirates. Flights between Israel and the United Arab Emirates began after the two countries normalized relations in 2020, opening the UAE as a major destination for Israeli travelers.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.