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An Israel bound flight from the United Arab Emirates diverted to Saudi Arabia because of a fight between the pilots rather than a hijacking, an Israeli official said on Wednesday.
Fears were raised that the flight had been hijacked after transmitting emergency signals, however the truth was far less dramatic. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held consultations over the incident, which his office said in a statement was “under control,” adding that all efforts were being made to bring the Israeli passengers back to Israel.
Flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted over Jordanian airspace towards Saudi Arabia, transmitting a general emergency signal before transmitting another emergency signal that indicated a possible unlawful interference several minutes later, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.
The Boeing 737 plane then again transmitted the general emergency signal before landing at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia, the website said.
The incident was not believed to have been a hijacking, a spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister’s office said.
An airline spokesperson said the flydubai flight experienced an “incident” en route to Tel Aviv and diverted to Tabuk, where it landed safely. All passengers were safe and accounted for, the spokesperson said, without providing any further details.
An Israeli official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the pilots had transmitted the emergency signals after getting into a physical altercation with each other.
It was not immediately clear if either pilot had intentionally transmitted the signal.
Yasmin Abu Kasis, whose daughter Miriam was on the flight, said that her daughter had told her that she had heard screaming and that a man took a knife, put the pilot on the floor, and that there was blood everywhere.
It is not the first time a flight between Israel and the UAE has landed in Saudi Arabia. A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Riyadh in September 2025 due to a medical emergency, Israeli media reported at the time.
Flydubai operates daily flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv, a route that is popular among Israeli nationals.
