Flydubai Flight to Israel Diverted to Saudi Arabia After Incident in Cockpit

A Flydubai aircraft flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv landed safely at Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk airport after experiencing a problem during the flight and diverting its course. Reports on the cause of the incident have varied, and claims that the plane was hijacked were denied by the spokesman for the Israeli prime minister.

Flydubai said flight 1073 encountered a problem in midair but landed safely in Tabuk without any injuries. Israeli media reported that the pilot sent a distress message using a hijacking code, after which the aircraft altered course toward Saudi Arabia.

According to one passenger, shouting was heard inside the plane and blood was seen. Israeli media also reported, citing passengers, that one of the pilots stabbed the other; these claims have not been independently verified.

Some media outlets raised the possibility of a confrontation between the pilot and co-pilot, while others claimed one of the pilots had attempted to bring the aircraft down by rapidly losing altitude or to die by suicide, and that the other pilot prevented it. Israeli media sources also reported the possibility of an attempted hijacking for political reasons, while the spokesman for the Israeli prime minister had previously rejected that possibility.

Media reports put the number of people on board at 150. Following the incident, flights at Ben Gurion Airport were suspended for a time before the airspace returned to normal. Israeli media also reported that Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel Katz consulted military and security officials about the incident.