Israeli newspaper Maariv reported Wednesday that a Flydubai aircraft traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, carrying about 180 passengers, including more than 100 Israelis, was forced to make an emergency landing in the Saudi city of Tabuk following an incident in the cockpit.
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According to Maariv, preliminary details indicated that a violent altercation broke out between the aircraft’s two pilots. Information being investigated suggests that one pilot stabbed the other before one of them lost consciousness.
The newspaper added that Israeli authorities were examining several possibilities, including whether the pilot allegedly responsible for the stabbing attempted to take control of the aircraft, including the possibility that he intended to crash it.
Maariv reported that the aircraft rapidly lost altitude during the incident. Flight-tracking data showed that it descended by around 15,000 feet, or more than 4,000 meters, within a short period.
According to Maariv, Israeli passengers aboard the aircraft were reportedly able, based on preliminary accounts, to assist crew members in restraining and neutralizing the person who posed a threat.
The incident triggered a security alert in Israel after the aircraft initially transmitted emergency code 7700, followed by code 7500, which is used to indicate a suspected hijacking, before communication between the aircraft and Israeli authorities was lost.
The newspaper said the Israeli Air Force sent two fighter jets toward the aircraft, while Saudi Arabia also dispatched aircraft of its own amid initial suspicions that the plane may have been hijacked.
According to data cited by Maariv, the aircraft was a Boeing 737 MAX 8 registered as A6-FKF. At around 8:32 a.m. Israel time, it was flying at an altitude of approximately 15,300 feet over northern Saudi Arabia, near the Jordanian border, when it transmitted the emergency code.
The newspaper added that the aircraft later disappeared from the FlightRadar24 tracking application before it was able to establish contact with Saudi aviation authorities and land safely at Tabuk Airport.
Maariv quoted an Israeli source as saying that the aircraft would undergo inspection after landing, while crew members would be questioned. The source noted that determining exactly what happened would requirefurther examinations and investigations.
Maariv reported that the Israeli military said the incident was not classified at this stage as a security incident, although investigations into the circumstances were continuing, including the possibility of an intentional attempt to take control of the aircraft.
Flydubai, for its part, confirmed that flight FZ1073, which departed Dubai International Airport for Tel Aviv on September 30, “experienced an incident during the flight.” The airline said the aircraft landed safely in Tabuk and that all passengers were safe.
