Flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv makes emergency diversion to Saudi Arabia after distress signal and reported cockpit altercation; passengers declared safe
Jerusalem, Sept 2026 : Israeli security agencies were investigating an incident aboard a Flydubai passenger aircraft travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Wednesday after the flight transmitted an emergency signal, descended sharply and was diverted to Saudi Arabia.
The aircraft, operating as flight FZ 1073 from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport, eventually landed at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia. Flydubai confirmed that the aircraft had “experienced an incident” while en route and said all passengers were safe and accounted for.
Israeli authorities were examining the circumstances surrounding the incident, with the possibility of a security-related event reportedly not being ruled out. Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news, citing an Israeli official, reported that investigators were looking into whether one of the pilots may have attempted to crash the aircraft. The report also said that one of the pilots was injured.
A video circulated on social media showed an Israeli passenger with blood on his face claiming that passengers were under attack and that alleged attackers had been overpowered. However, the circumstances surrounding the video and the claims made in it had not been independently established.
Earlier, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the incident was not believed to have been a hijacking. An Israeli official separately said the emergency signals were transmitted after the pilots became involved in a physical altercation.
The conflicting early accounts prompted authorities to examine the sequence of events inside the aircraft, including the reported altercation, the emergency transmission, the aircraft’s sharp descent and the decision to divert to Saudi Arabia.
Flydubai said its flight crew had handled the incident and that the aircraft landed safely at Tabuk. The airline did not provide further details about the nature of the incident or what had occurred on board.
The incident also triggered preparations at Ben Gurion Airport for the possible arrival of passengers and to assist their relatives seeking information.
The Israel Airports Authority said it had established a dedicated waiting and information area for families of passengers aboard the flight, following a directive from Transport Minister Miri Regev.
The facility was set up in Terminal 1, in the domestic arrivals hall at Ben Gurion Airport. Family members were advised to proceed to the designated area, where they could wait and receive updates as authorities assessed the situation.
Representatives of the Israel Airports Authority were also deployed at the location to assist relatives and provide information as developments unfolded.
The authority appealed to members of the public who were not relatives of passengers on the flight to stay away from the designated area to ensure that families could receive assistance in an orderly manner.
Investigations were continuing to establish what led to the emergency aboard the aircraft and whether the reported cockpit altercation was connected to the distress signal and subsequent diversion.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
