International
oi-Madhuri Adnal
A fight between two pilots inside the cockpit of a flydubai Boeing 737 MAX triggered an emergency alert during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, sending the aircraft into a sharp descent before it landed safely in Saudi Arabia. According to reports, the captain was of Russian origin and the co-pilot Ukrainian.
The incident briefly sparked fears of a possible hijacking after the aircraft transmitted an emergency code indicating unlawful interference. Those fears were later dismissed, with the incident attributed to the altercation between the pilots.
A Flydubai Boeing 737 MAX flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted to Saudi Arabia after a fight between its pilots triggered an emergency alert and a sharp descent, landing safely in Tabuk with all passengers unharmed.
Flydubai confirmed that all passengers were safe.
What happened on the Flydubai flight?
Flydubai flight FZ1073 was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the aircraft experienced what the airline described as an “incident” while flying over northern Saudi Arabia.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 was diverted to Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely.
“The aircraft has landed safely in Tabuk Airport and all passengers are safe and accounted for,” a Flydubai spokesperson said.
The aircraft had transmitted a code indicating possible unlawful interference, prompting Israeli authorities to take precautionary measures. Hebrew media reported that Israeli fighter jets were scrambled towards the aircraft amid initial concerns that it could have been hijacked.
The situation, however, was later determined to have been a false alarm triggered by the physical altercation between the two pilots.
A spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there had been no hijacking. The Israeli Air Force has not immediately commented on reports that fighter jets were scrambled.
According to local reports, the flight was carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children.
The incident was serious enough to trigger an emergency security response in Israel. Ynet reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz held an urgent security consultation.
The Israel Police Operations Division also reportedly ordered the establishment of a joint command centre involving several security agencies. Police Commissioner Danny Levy conducted a situation assessment and said authorities were prepared for “every scenario”.
Cockpit fight took a more serious turn
Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reported that authorities were investigating whether one of the pilots had deliberately attempted to crash the aircraft, with the other pilot intervening to prevent it.
Israeli media also reported that one of the pilots suffered a stab wound, adding a new dimension to what was initially described simply as a fight between the two pilots.
According to Israeli news portal Ynet, the aircraft went into a steep descent during the incident, while passengers reportedly helped one of the pilots stop the other from bringing the plane down.
Images published by Israeli media outlets also appeared to show a passenger with bloodstains on his shirt.
How far did the plane fall?
Flight tracking data showed the plane losing almost half its altitude in about a minute.
According to Flightradar24 data, the aircraft dropped from nearly 34,000 feet (10,360 metres) at 05:21 UTC to below 17,000 feet (5,180 metres) at 05:22 UTC.
The sudden drop in altitude came as the aircraft was flying over Saudi Arabia and shortly before it diverted to Tabuk.
Israel’s Kan public broadcaster and Channel 12 reported that the Israeli military scrambled fighter jets following the initial hijacking concerns.
Those fears were later dismissed, with reports attributing the emergency signal to the confrontation between the pilots.
The aircraft ultimately landed safely in Tabuk, and Flydubai confirmed that all passengers and crew were safe and accounted for.
