A flydubai passenger jet heading from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an unscheduled landing in northern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after sending emergency signals mid-flight. The alerts briefly raised fears of a hijacking. The airline said all passengers were safe and accounted for.
What the airline has said
Flydubai confirmed that flight FZ1073, operating from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion Airport, experienced an incident en route and landed safely at Tabuk airport. The carrier operates daily services between Dubai and Tel Aviv. It has not yet publicly explained what happened on board.
The flight path
Flight-tracking data shows the Boeing 737 left Dubai shortly after 7am UAE time and climbed to 34,000 feet. The first emergency alert came about two and a half hours after take-off. Several minutes later, the aircraft transmitted a second code indicating possible unlawful interference, followed by a general emergency signal as it turned away from its route over Jordanian airspace and headed towards Saudi Arabia.
Aviation observers explain that a transponder code of 7700 signals a general emergency, while 7500 is reserved for unlawful interference, the code associated with hijacking. It remains unclear whether either pilot deliberately sent the signal.
Israel’s response
The alerts prompted Israel to scramble fighter jets, amid concern about a possible hijacking of a plane carrying dozens of Israeli citizens. The Washington Post reported about 180 passengers on board. Israel’s military said it was assessing the situation, and the Prime Minister’s office later said it was under control and that arrangements were being made to bring passengers home.
Soon afterwards, officials said the incident was not believed to be a hijacking. That reading has not been confirmed independently by flydubai or aviation authorities.
Reports of a dispute in the cockpit
Israeli media, citing security officials, reported that the episode stemmed from a feud between the aircraft’s two pilots. Those accounts are attributed to unnamed sources and have not been verified by the airline or by aviation regulators. Readers should treat the explanation as a claim under investigation, not established fact.
Serious cockpit disagreements are rare, but they have happened. In 2022, two Air France pilots were suspended after fighting in the cockpit on a flight from Geneva to Paris.
Why Tabuk
Tabuk is a civilian and military airfield in Saudi Arabia’s north-west, and it was one of the closest suitable options once the aircraft turned back from Jordanian airspace. The jet landed without reported injuries.
What happens next
An investigation into the circumstances is expected, and questions remain about the exact sequence of events, what triggered the signals and how the passengers will complete their journey. Passengers who were booked on the flight should contact flydubai directly for rebooking options.
The incident comes as tension across the region stays high, which explains the speed and scale of Israel’s response to a signal that might otherwise have been handled quietly. For now, the main facts are simple: a jet diverted, everyone on board is safe and the cause is still being established.
