TEL AVIV: A flydubai flight bound for Israel from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after transmitting emergency signals, an incident an Israeli official said followed a fight between the pilots and was not a hijacking.
Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted over Jordanian airspace toward Saudi Arabia, first sending a general emergency signal, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.
Several minutes later, the Boeing 737 sent a second signal indicating possible unlawful interference, the site said. It then again transmitted the general emergency signal before landing at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
A spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister's office said the incident was not believed to be a hijacking. An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the pilots sent the signals after getting into a physical altercation with each other. It was not immediately clear whether either pilot intentionally transmitted the signal.
A flydubai spokesperson said the flight experienced an "incident" en route and landed safely in Tabuk. All passengers were safe and accounted for, the spokesperson said, without giving further details.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held consultations on the incident, which his office said in a statement was "under control." The office said all efforts were being made to bring the Israeli passengers home. Israel has no official diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia.
Flydubai operates daily flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv, a route popular with Israelis.
It is not the first time a flight between the two countries has landed in Saudi Arabia. A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Riyadh in September 2025 because of a medical emergency, Israeli media reported at the time.
