Israel-bound flight diverted after fight between pilots

A flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was unexpectedly diverted to Saudi Arabia after a fight between the pilots, Israeli officials told local media.

The Flydubai plane – which took off from Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates early on Wednesday morning – signalled an emergency code two hours into the journey, flight tracking website Flightradar24 said.

Minutes later it switched to a code used to report a hijacking, but was later turned back to the general emergency signal, it added.

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

Passengers told local media they feared or their lives as the plane started to drop during the incident.

The emergency signal is thought to be issued following an altercation between the pilot and co-pilot, local media reported citing Israeli defence officials.

Flight FZ1073 – carrying around 150 people, most of whom are Israeli – was due to land at Ben-Gurion Airport but instead landed at Tabuk Airport in northeastern Saudi Arabia.

A Flydubai spokesperson confirmed the flight “experienced an incident while en route”, and that updates will be issued as further details become available. “Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities,” it added.

Data from Flightrader24 shows a rapid descent for the plane over Saudi Arabia, just two hours after take-off, descending more than 17,000 feet (over 5000 m) in less than two minutes just after 05:21 UTC (06:21 BST).

At 05:40, the flight briefly entered Jordanian airspace before looping back into Saudi Arabia minutes later, where it then began its descent for landing.

The Israeli air force dispatched fighter jets in response to the incident and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held urgent consultations on the incident.