FlyDubai plane bound for Israel diverted to Saudi Arabia after cockpit dispute between pilots
A FlyDubai plane flying from the United Arab Emirates to Israel was forced into an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday following a dispute between two pilots. Everyone aboard is safe, though the incident briefly triggered hijacking fears.
A commercial flight traveling from the United Arab Emirates to Israel was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, briefly raising concerns about a possible hijacking and prompting Israel to scramble warplanes.
Israeli media, citing security officials, reported that the incident stemmed from a dispute between the plane's two pilots and that everyone on board was safe. The aircraft landed in Tabuk, a civilian and military base in Saudi Arabia.
According to publicly available flight-tracking data, the FlyDubai plane transmitted an emergency alert shortly after takeoff. A regional official briefed on the matter said a fight broke out in the cockpit apparently involving the pilots, though the cause remained unclear. A second official confirmed Israel had scrambled warplanes over fears of a hijacking of a plane carrying dozens of Israeli citizens.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had warned in recent days of unspecified, heightened security threats. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing. Netanyahu's office later said the situation was under control and that Israel was working to bring the passengers home.
Passenger accounts
Passengers told Israel's Channel 12 by phone that they heard shouting from people near the front of the cabin who had overheard the altercation between the pilots, and that the plane dipped steeply before landing in Saudi Arabia. They also said all passengers were being kept on board, surrounded by a heavy presence of Saudi security forces.
FlyDubai, the budget sister carrier of Emirates, later confirmed that flight FZ1073, en route to Ben Gurion Airport, experienced an incident and landed safely in Tabuk on Wednesday. The airline said its teams were working closely with relevant authorities and that further updates would follow as confirmed details emerged.
The UAE has become a popular vacation destination for Israeli tourists since the two countries normalized relations in 2020, with commercial flights operating between them ever since. Emergency landings caused by personnel disputes are rare but not unprecedented — in 2022, two Air France pilots were suspended after a cockpit fight on a Geneva-Paris flight, although that aircraft was not diverted and landed as scheduled.
