Pilot Brawl Forces Dubai-Tel Aviv Flight to Saudi Arabia

A flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv that was diverted to Saudi Arabia sent emergency signals after an in-flight fight between its pilots, an Israeli official said on Wednesday.

Flydubai Flight FZ1073 was headed to Israel from the United Arab Emirates when it diverted over Jordanian airspace towards Saudi Arabia, according to Flightradar24. The aircraft transmitted a general emergency signal and then sent a second emergency alert several minutes later indicating possible unlawful interference.

Emergency Signals Recorded by Flight Data

The Boeing 737, which Israeli media said had about 150 passengers on board, later sent the general emergency signal again before landing at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia, the tracking website said.

Flightradar24 data appeared to show the plane making a sudden and rapid descent of almost 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds before the first emergency transmission. The website said the pattern was consistent with the timing of the alerts sent during the diversion.

Israel Triggered a Security Response

The emergency signals prompted a major security response in Israel. Israel has no official diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia, where the plane landed.

Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told Reuters the incident was not believed to be a hijacking. He described it as a “different incident”.

A spokesperson for Flydubai said the airline became aware of an “incident” en route to Tel Aviv and diverted to Tabuk, where the aircraft landed safely. The spokesperson said all passengers were safe and accounted for, without providing further details.

Pilots, Physical Altercation, and Passenger Accounts

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the pilots transmitted the emergency signals after they got into a physical altercation with each other. It was not immediately clear, the official added, whether either pilot intentionally sent the alerts.

Israeli media reported statements from a passenger’s family. Yasmin Abu Kasis said her daughter Miriam, who was on the flight, told her she heard screaming and saw a man holding a knife force one of the pilots to the floor, with blood “everywhere”. Reuters could not immediately verify those account details.

Israeli outlets also published a photograph they said was taken inside the aircraft, appearing to show a passenger’s blood-soaked shirt. Reuters was not able to verify the image at the time of writing.

In a statement, Netanyahu’s office said the situation was “under control” and that measures were being taken to return Israeli passengers to Israel.

Route Used by Israelis

Flydubai runs daily return flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv, a route popular with Israeli travellers. The normal flight path uses airspace over Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

It was not the first time a flight between Israel and the UAE had landed in Saudi Arabia. In September 2025, Israeli media reported that a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Riyadh due to a medical incident.

Join the discussion?

30 September 2026