Hijack scare over Saudi Arabia as Flydubai flight FZ1073 diverts after cockpit brawl
A physical altercation between the pilots of Flydubai flight FZ1073 triggered an emergency signal that raised fears of a hijacking over Saudi Arabia, prompting Israel to scramble fighter jets before the jet landed safely at Tabuk.
A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children, was diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after a physical altercation between the pilots triggered an emergency signal that raised fears of a hijacking and prompted Israel to scramble fighter jets.
Flydubai confirmed the flight was diverted because of the altercation between the pilots.
Flight FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, had departed Dubai at 7:05am and was scheduled to land at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv at about 9:30am. About 90 minutes into the flight, as the aircraft entered Jordanian airspace, it transmitted squawk code 7700 — the international code for a general emergency — followed by code 7500, indicating possible unlawful interference. The aircraft then turned around, headed back into Saudi airspace and began flying at a lower altitude.
Israeli Air Force fighter jets were scrambled as authorities tried to determine what was happening aboard. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz convened an urgent security consultation, while the Israel Police Operations Division ordered a joint command centre with other security agencies.
An Israeli security official said there was no definitive evidence of a hijacking but that authorities were concerned because they could not reach the pilot. Israeli officials later told Haaretz the alert was apparently triggered by the pilots’ altercation, not an attempted hijacking. The aircraft landed at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Flightradar24 said it had not independently confirmed the nature of the incident.
Sources
- Ynetnews: https://www.ynetnews.com/article/s1lpsm95ge
- Times of Israel: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/plane-from-dubai-to-tel-aviv-signals-emergency-makes-turn-over-saudi-arabia/
- Kurdistan24: https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/942903/flydubai-flight-diverts-to-saudi-arabia-after-distress-signal-israeli-jets-scrambled
- Times of India: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/flydubai-flight-to-tel-aviv-carrying-180-diverted-over-saudi-arabia-emergency-declared/articleshow/134584388.cms
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