Flydubai Flight to Tel Aviv Diverted to Saudi Arabia After Violent Pilot Altercation Triggers Hijacking Alert

A flydubai flight traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv was forced into an emergency diversion to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after a violent physical altercation broke out between the plane’s pilots, triggering emergency and hijacking alerts that prompted Israel to briefly scramble fighter jets.

According to flight-tracking data from Flightradar24, flight FZ1073 transmitted a 7700 general emergency code followed by a 7500 code, the internationally recognized signal for unlawful interference or hijacking, roughly two and a half hours after departing Dubai. The aircraft descended sharply, dropping about 17,400 feet over northwestern Saudi Arabia in under two minutes, before landing safely at Tabuk Airport, a joint civilian-military base in the kingdom. Flydubai confirmed in a statement that the aircraft “experienced an incident while en route” and that all passengers and crew were “safe and accounted for,” adding that further details would be shared later. Israeli outlet Ynet reported the flight was carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children.

What triggered the emergency remains only partially confirmed. Multiple outlets, including CNN and Al Jazeera, cited sources and Israeli media reporting that the incident stemmed from a “violent” altercation between the two pilots. Passengers told Israel’s Channel 12 by phone that they heard shouting from the front of the cabin before the plane dipped steeply, and separately described the scene to Channel 15 as chaotic, with people shouting in fear as the aircraft began its emergency descent. Some Israeli outlets, including Euronews and Israel Hayom, went further, reporting that one of the pilots was stabbed during the altercation and that an off-duty crew, including a Russian and a Ukrainian pilot who happened to be traveling as passengers, intervened and ultimately helped land the aircraft safely. Israel Hayom additionally reported that Israeli assessments were mounting that the fight may have begun as an attempt to stop the co-pilot from carrying out a deliberate attack, though this characterization has not been independently confirmed by aviation authorities, and flydubai itself has not detailed the cause of the incident publicly. Given the fluid and partially conflicting nature of early reporting, these specific claims should be treated as unconfirmed pending an official investigation.

The emergency codes set off a rapid security response given the flight’s large number of Israeli passengers. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed he held consultations over the incident and said the situation was “under control,” with officials coordinating to ensure the safe return of the stranded passengers. Israeli fighter jets were reportedly scrambled as a precaution while communication with the cockpit was temporarily disrupted, before the plane’s safe landing was confirmed. Videos circulating on social media reportedly showed passengers singing “Od Avinu Chai,” a Hebrew song of gratitude, as the aircraft touched down safely in Tabuk.

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Israel is exploring sending a replacement aircraft to Saudi Arabia to bring the stranded passengers home, an Israeli official told CNN, while Tabuk airport authorities said they were coordinating with flydubai to arrange alternative transport. Flydubai, the low-cost sister carrier of Emirates, said all flight crews across its operations are now undergoing background checks following the incident, according to Israel Hayom. Separately, The Week reported that a second flydubai flight traveling the same Dubai-to-Tel Aviv route was also diverted, this time back to the UAE, amid what it described as a related “mid-air hijack scare,” though details of that second incident remain limited as of this reporting.

Emergency landings triggered specifically by personnel-related incidents rather than mechanical failure are rare, though not unprecedented in the region. Al Jazeera noted that in 2023, a Tel Aviv-bound Air Seychelles flight made an emergency landing in Jeddah due to an electrical fault, and that a separate flydubai flight landed in Riyadh last year after a passenger suffered a stroke mid-flight. Wednesday’s incident stands apart from both of those cases given the apparent violence involved and the brief but serious hijacking scare it triggered. Aviation authorities in the region have opened a formal investigation into the altercation, and further details about what exactly transpired in the cockpit, and why, are expected in the coming days as flydubai and regional aviation regulators complete their review.