Flydubai flight lands in Saudi Arabia after emergency alerts

• Flydubai flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
• The airline said all passengers were safe and accounted for.
• Flight-tracking data showed a sequence of emergency alerts before the aircraft changed course.
• Israel scrambled warplanes amid initial concern about a possible hijacking.

The Boeing 737 sent a general emergency alert, followed minutes later by a signal indicating possible unlawful interference, Reuters reported, citing flight-tracking site Flightradar24. A further general alert followed before the plane landed in north-western Saudi Arabia. The signals and diversion are documented; they do not establish what happened on board or why the alerts were sent.¹

The Israeli response reflected the uncertainty in the moment. The Associated Press reported that officials feared a possible hijacking and scrambled warplanes. Later, Israeli officials told Reuters the incident did not appear to be a hijacking; one said the pilots had physically fought, while the investigation was continuing.²¹

Flydubai confirmed the safe landing and said passengers were safe and accounted for. The airline called the event an “incident” but did not explain its cause. Israel’s prime minister’s office said the situation was under control and that arrangements were being made to bring Israeli passengers home; their return had not been confirmed in the reports examined.²³

The diversion put Israeli passengers on the ground in Saudi Arabia, which has no official diplomatic relations with Israel. Flydubai operates daily Dubai–Tel Aviv flights, Reuters reported.¹

Footnotes

1. Reuters, republished by Boursorama, “Un vol vers Israël dérouté en Arabie après un ‘incident’ à bord” ↩ ↩² ↩³

2. Associated Press, “Plane from Dubai to Israel is diverted and lands in Saudi Arabia” ↩ ↩²

3. PassportNews, “ ‘The flight experienced an incident’: Flydubai responds” ↩