Israel-bound flydubai flight diverted to Saudi Arabia after ‘brawl between pilots’

DUBAI – A flight bound for Israel from Dubai diverted to Saudi Arabia after transmitting emergency signals due to a fight between the pilots rather than a hijacking, an Israeli official said on Sept 30.

Flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai diverted over Jordanian airspace towards Saudi Arabia, transmitting a general emergency signal before transmitting another emergency signal that indicates a possible unlawful interference several minutes later, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24.

The Boeing 737 plane then again transmitted the general emergency signal before landing at Tabuk airport in north-western Saudi Arabia, the website said.

The incident was not believed to have been a hijacking, the Israeli prime minister’s office said.

An airline spokesman said the flydubai flight experienced an “incident” en route to Tel Aviv and diverted to Tabuk, where it landed safely.

All passengers were safe and accounted for, he said, without providing any further details. The plane was carrying some 180 passengers, many of them Israelis.

An Israeli official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the pilots transmitted the emergency signals after getting into a physical altercation with each other.

It was not immediately clear if either pilot intentionally transmitted the signal.

Yasmin Abu Kasis, whose daughter Miriam was on the flight, said her daughter told her that she heard screaming, and that a man took a knife, put the pilot on the floor, and that there was blood everywhere.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held consultations over the incident, which his office said in a statement was “under control”, adding that all efforts were being made to bring the Israeli passengers back to Israel, which has no official diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia.

Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir also held a “situational assessment” with the commander of the air force and other military officials, Israel’s military said in a statement.

Flydubai operates daily flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv, a route that is popular among Israeli nationals. Saudi Arabia and Israel do not have official diplomatic relations.

It is not the first time a flight between Israel and the UAE has landed in Saudi Arabia.

A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Riyadh in September 2025 due to a medical emergency, Israeli media reported at the time. REUTERS