Key takeaways:
- Flydubai said Flight FZ 1073 landed safely at Tabuk airport and all passengers were safe and accounted for.
- Flightradar24 said the plane transmitted general-emergency and unlawful-interference codes and reported sharp fluctuations in its altitude data.
- Israeli officials said they were arranging the safe return of Israeli passengers; reports of a pilot altercation remained unconfirmed.
A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv landed safely in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after transmitting emergency alerts, including one associated with unlawful interference. The airline said all passengers were safe and accounted for, while Israeli officials worked to bring Israeli passengers home.
Flight FZ 1073 “experienced an incident while en route” from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport, a Flydubai spokesperson told NBC News. The aircraft diverted to Tabuk airport in Saudi Arabia. The airline did not explain what happened and said more details would follow.
Flight-tracking site Flightradar24 said the plane first transmitted a 7700 code, indicating a general emergency, then switched to a 7500 code, which suggests unlawful interference, before returning to 7700. It also reported “extreme fluctuations” in the altitude data transmitted by the aircraft, including an apparent drop of 14,125 feet in 29 seconds. Al Jazeera reported that flight-tracking data showed the plane was a Boeing 737 Max 8.
The cause of the emergency alerts remained unconfirmed. Israeli media outlets, including The Times of Israel and Ynet, cited unidentified Israeli officials as saying an altercation between the two pilots apparently triggered the alert. NBC News said it could not immediately confirm that account, and Al Jazeera said the reports could not be independently verified.
Passengers told Israel’s Channel 12 by phone that they heard shouting from the front of the plane and an altercation between the pilots, Al Jazeera reported. They said the plane dipped steeply before landing. At the time they spoke, the passengers said they remained on board and Saudi security forces were gathered around the aircraft, according to Al Jazeera.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he held consultations and monitored the situation. “The situation is under control, and all measures are currently being taken to bring the Israeli passengers back to Israel safely,” his office said Wednesday.
The Israeli military also held an assessment of the incident. Al Jazeera reported that the assessment involved Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir and senior officers.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said on X that he was relieved the episode had not turned out to be “more serious.” “This had everyone in the Middle East (esp Israel) on FULL ALERT this morning,” he wrote, adding: “Having pilots inflight detouring to ‘fist city’ not your ordinary experience.”
The flight had departed Dubai International Airport, one of the world’s busiest international travel hubs, for Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport. Flydubai is a lower-cost sister carrier of Emirates. The airline has not provided a cause for the incident.
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