Dubai: A Flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after an incident in the cockpit triggered emergency alerts and briefly raised fears of a hijacking.
Flight FZ1073, operating from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, landed safely at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Flydubai said all passengers were safe and accounted for, while its teams were working with the relevant authorities to establish the circumstances of the incident.
The incident occurred on September 30 while the Boeing 737 MAX was en route to Israel. Initial reports suggested a possible hijacking after the aircraft transmitted emergency signals, prompting Israeli authorities to scramble fighter jets to assess the situation. Subsequent reports from Israeli officials and media indicated that the emergency was linked to a physical altercation between the two pilots in the cockpit.
Emergency signals trigger hijacking fears
The aircraft first transmitted the international emergency squawk code 7700, which indicates a general emergency. It later transmitted 7500, a code used to indicate unlawful interference and commonly associated with a hijacking.
The unusual sequence prompted a major security response as the aircraft was flying towards Israel. Israeli authorities initially had to treat the situation as a possible hijacking before information emerged about what had happened inside the cockpit.
The aircraft subsequently diverted towards Saudi Arabia and landed at Tabuk. Reports said the emergency took place while the aircraft was over or near Jordanian airspace.
Flydubai did not initially provide details about the nature of the incident, saying only that the aircraft had experienced an incident while en route and had landed safely.
“Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities. Further updates will be issued as additional confirmed details become available,” a Flydubai spokesperson said, according to Gulf News.
Reports of a fight between pilots
Israeli media reports later said the emergency was caused by an altercation between the two pilots.
Reuters, citing Israeli officials, reported that the Israeli government believed the incident could have involved an attempted attack by one of the pilots, although the precise circumstances and motive remained under investigation.
Other reports said the pilots became involved in a physical confrontation inside the cockpit. The reason for the confrontation has not been established publicly.
Some reports also identified the pilots as being of Russian and Ukrainian origin, although those details were attributed to Israeli media reports and were not included in Flydubai’s initial public statement.
Passenger reports describe panic onboard
Passengers reportedly experienced moments of considerable panic during the incident.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported that a female passenger described hearing screams coming from the cockpit. She also claimed that a pilot had been attacked with a pocketknife and that passengers and crew members helped restrain the alleged attacker.
Images published by Israeli media and circulated online appeared to show at least one passenger with blood on their clothing. The images fuelled reports that there had been a physical struggle inside the aircraft.
However, allegations that a pilot was stabbed, that one pilot attempted to crash the aircraft or that passengers had to intervene have not all been independently confirmed. Some media reports have explicitly noted that the stabbing allegation remains unverified.
Israeli security response
The emergency alerts prompted Israeli authorities to respond as though the aircraft could have been hijacked.
Israeli fighter jets were reportedly scrambled to assess the situation while officials monitored the aircraft’s movements. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office later said the situation was under control and that authorities were working to ensure the safe return of Israeli passengers.
Israeli officials subsequently said the incident was being examined from a security perspective, including the possibility that it could constitute an attempted terror attack. The motive behind the cockpit confrontation, however, remained unclear.
The incident also prompted heightened attention because the aircraft was carrying passengers travelling to Israel, with Israeli authorities closely monitoring the emergency after the hijacking-related alert was transmitted.
All passengers safe after landing
Despite the alarming reports from onboard, the aircraft landed safely at Tabuk Airport and passengers were reported safe and accounted for.
Flydubai said passenger and crew safety remained its highest priority and confirmed that it was cooperating with the relevant authorities. Passengers were expected to remain in Saudi Arabia while arrangements were made for their onward journey to Israel.
The incident remains under investigation, with authorities expected to examine cockpit communications, flight data, passenger accounts and the circumstances that led to the emergency signals.
For now, the confirmed facts are that FZ1073 diverted from its scheduled Dubai-Tel Aviv route, landed safely in Tabuk and that all passengers were accounted for. The more serious allegations surrounding the cockpit confrontation remain subject to investigation and further official confirmation.