Plane of Flydubai flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after pilots got into a physical confrontation on the plane, Israeli officials told Reuters.
Flight FZ1073, operated by a Boeing 737, sent two emergency signals during the flight, the second of which indicated a possible "unlawful intervention". The plane then changed direction and landed at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
According to data from the Flightradar24 service, before the first danger signal, the plane suddenly lost almost 14.000 feet of height, that is, about 4.300 meters, in less than 30 seconds. Reuters said it was not immediately clear whether any of the pilots had intentionally sent a signal indicating a possible hijacking or other illegal intervention.
An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the pilots sent out emergency signals after a physical confrontation between them.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the incident was not considered a plane hijacking. Spokesman Doron Spielman told Reuters it was a "different incident", while Flydubai said only that the plane had an "incident" during the flight and landed safely in Tabuk. According to the company, all passengers and crew members are safe.
Allegations of a knife attack
At the same time, there were reports in the Israeli media that one of the pilots attacked the other with a knife, after which passengers and crew members intervened.
Reuters reported the testimony of Jazmin Abu Qassis, whose daughter was among the passengers. She said her daughter told her she heard screams and saw a man with a knife knocking one of the pilots to the floor, while there was blood.
These allegations have not been independently confirmed, and Reuters reports that a photo of the passenger with bloody clothes, published by Israeli media, could not be verified.
Some Israeli media reported that one of the pilots tried to take control of the plane, but the official version of the Israeli authorities published by Reuters states that the incident is not considered a hijacking.
Hunters sent to check the situation
Because of the signal that indicated a possible illegal intervention, the incident caused a major security response. The Israeli Air Force sent fighter jets to check the situation, but they turned back before entering Saudi airspace. According to an Israeli official, Saudi Arabia also sent a fighter jet to check what was going on.
The plane eventually landed safely in Tabuk, and Israeli authorities said they were working to arrange for the passengers to return to Israel. According to the data reported by Reuters, there were about 150 Israeli passengers on the flight, while more recent reports speak of approximately 180 passengers in total.
Flydubai operates daily between Dubai and Tel Aviv, and the route normally passes through the airspace of Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Saudi Arabia and Israel do not have established diplomatic relations.
For now, it remains unclear what exactly happened in the cockpit and why the plane suddenly lost altitude and sent a signal indicating a possible hijacking. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Real journalism costs money, and we will not be bought by tycoons and corporations. Support us with a one-time or monthly donation. The time for it is now!
