Pilots’ brawl forces Dubai-to-Israel flight to divert to Saudi Arabia - TimesLIVE

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 Wednesday.

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 northwestern Saudi Arabia, the website said.

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

Flydubai was not immediately available for comment.

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

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

Three Israeli security officials earlier told Reuters that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held consultations over the flight. 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.