A Flydubai commercial passenger aircraft flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted to and landed in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday morning after the pilots fought mid-air, sending an emergency code and setting off a hijacking scare in the process.
The aircraft, operating as flight FZ1073 and carrying over 100 Israeli passengers on board, initially transmitted squawk code 7700, indicating a general emergency, before switching to 7500, which signals unlawful interference, and later reverting back to the initial code.
As the incident unfolded, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) scrambled fighter jets in preparation for a possible emergency and raised its alert level, Walla reported. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had convened a security meeting with defense officials, The Jerusalem Post learned.
Israeli airspace was also temporarily closed and later reopened after the plane landed in Saudi Arabia.
Hijacking scare stemmed from mid-air altercation between pilots
The incident was later understood not to have been a hijacking, according to Israeli officials and defense sources, with the emergency apparently stemming from the altercation between the pilots aboard the aircraft.
Authorities planned to question the crew and inspect the aircraft after landing as they investigated what had happened.
The Emirati airline is set to send another aircraft to Saudi Arabia to bring the passengers back to Tel Aviv.
Amir Bohbot contributed to this report. This is a developing story.