A FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv landed safely at Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk airport on Wednesday after declaring an emergency, following a dramatic mid-air incident that briefly raised fears of a hijacking and prompted Israel to scramble fighter jets.Flight FZ1073, carrying around 180 people, was flying towards Ben Gurion Airport when it transmitted the international emergency squawk code 7700 and later the 7500 code, which indicates hijacking or unlawful interference. The aircraft was diverted from its route and eventually landed at Tabuk, where Saudi security forces surrounded the plane.The exact sequence of events remains under investigation. Israeli officials and media reports said the emergency signals were apparently triggered by an altercation between the two pilots in the cockpit. The Times of Israel, citing passengers and Hebrew-language media reports, said one pilot allegedly attempted to crash the aircraft and was stopped by the second pilot with help from passengers.Channel 14 reported that one of the pilots may have attempted suicide, allegedly sending the aircraft into a rapid dive from around 30,000 feet to 15,000 feet before the second pilot intervened during a struggle.Flight-tracking data also showed unusual altitude changes. Before the aircraft switched to the 7700 emergency code, its calculated vertical speed reportedly fluctuated between about -30,000 and +10,000 feet per minute, far beyond the range normally seen during commercial flight. The aircraft briefly climbed back to around 21,650 feet before dropping again to below 14,000 feet. It subsequently remained around 15,000 feet for an extended period.Israeli authorities were initially unable to establish contact with the aircraft and scrambled fighter jets amid fears of a hijacking. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior military officials held consultations as the incident unfolded.Netanyahu’s office later said the situation was under control and that all necessary measures were being taken to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel.Passengers quoted by Israel’s Channel 12 described panic on board, saying they heard shouting near the cockpit and felt the aircraft make a steep descent. Some passengers also reportedly described blood in the cockpit and claimed that one pilot had been stabbed, while passengers helped crew members restrain an attacker. These accounts have not been independently confirmed.FlyDubai later confirmed that FZ1073 had experienced an “incident” and landed safely in Tabuk. The airline said all passengers were “safe and accounted for” and that it was working with the relevant authorities.
