Unexpected drama forced a Flydubai aircraft to divert en‑route to Saudi Arabia.
The flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv sent an emergency code after a physical altercation between the pilot and co‑pilot. The incident was not believed to be a hijacking: Israeli officials said the crew believed an emergency signal was triggered by the conflict.
The aircraft, carrying about 150 passengers – largely Israeli – diverted to Tabuk Airport in northern Saudi Arabia instead of its intended arrival at Ben‑Gurion. Israeli jets were dispatched and Prime Minister Netanyahu held urgent consultations to address the breach.
All crew and passengers are safe; the air traffic controllers guided the plane in landing at Tabuk without incident.
