Flydubai Flight to Tel Aviv Diverted to Saudi Arabia After Pilot Altercation

According to the airline and Israeli officials, a Flydubai Boeing 737 bound for Tel Aviv from Dubai with 174 people aboard, among them 27 children, changed course on September 30 and touched down at Tabuk Airport in north-western Saudi Arabia after sending out distress signals, with officials attributing the incident to a clash between the two pilots.¹²⁴⁸

Diversion and emergency landing

The aircraft, operating as flight FZ1073, left Dubai International Airport bound for Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, according to Middle East Eye and The National. About 90 minutes into the flight, while over Jordanian airspace, the plane transmitted squawk code 7700, a general emergency signal, Ynetnews reported. The National said the aircraft sent two emergency signals over Jordanian airspace before a further general emergency signal was transmitted shortly before landing, while Gulf News reported the plane first squawked code 7500, denoting unlawful interference, before switching to the 7700 code.¹²⁷⁸

The aircraft diverted from its planned route and landed safely at Tabuk Airport, described as a civilian and military base in north-western Saudi Arabia, according to Al Jazeera, The National, Middle East Eye and Gulf News. According to Gulf News, the aircraft was flying roughly 5,000 feet above ground when it neared Tabuk.⁴²⁷⁸

Account of the cockpit incident

Several outlets, citing sources, said the emergency stemmed from a violent confrontation between the plane's two pilots. CNN described a "violent incident" involving the pilots and noted that the plane lost 17,400 feet of altitude within a span of just over two minutes. Ynetnews said the aircraft fell from 34,000 feet down to 14,000 feet, descending at roughly 30,976 feet per minute, and reported that one of the pilots may have tried to bring the plane down before being restrained.³¹

An Israeli official quoted by Ynetnews said, "The plane suddenly plunged. This could have ended in disaster," then went on to say, "It wasn't something innocent." Miriam, identified as a passenger, told the outlet, "We felt like we were going to crash," adding, "There were moments when we thought we weren't going to get out of this alive."¹

Citing a regional official, South China Morning Post said a physical fight had erupted in the cockpit that appeared to involve the two pilots, quoting the official as saying, "It was not immediately clear what had caused the fight." Middle East Eye likewise noted that specifics about what sparked the pilots' dispute had yet to emerge.⁶⁷

Israeli response

Flydubai confirmed the aircraft "experienced an incident while en route" and landed safely at Tabuk Airport, adding that "All passengers are safe and accounted for."⁴²

Israeli officials moved to rule out a hijacking. An official quoted by CNN said it was "not a hijacking but an internal personnel incident onboard." Netanyahu's office said, "The incident is under control and all measures are now being implemented to safely return the Israeli passengers to Israel."³²

Al Jazeera and Gulf News reported that Israel's military chief, Eyal Zamir, met with top officers to review the situation. Ynetnews reported that Netanyahu and Israel Katz convened an urgent security consultation and that Israel Police established a joint command centre with other security agencies. South China Morning Post reported that Israel scrambled warplanes in response to the incident.⁴⁸¹⁶

Unresolved questions

The precise cause of the confrontation between the pilots has not been established. The Hindu reported that the diversion briefly raised concerns about a possible hijacking before the plane was expected to land in Saudi Arabia, while Middle East Eye reported that Israeli officials ruled out a hijacking after the alert was linked to the pilots' altercation. Gulf News quoted a Flydubai representative as saying the company's teams were coordinating closely with the appropriate authorities. and that more information would be shared once verified facts were established."⁵⁷⁸