Fight Between Pilots Forces Dubai Plane To Land In Saudi Arabia

(FlyDubai. Photo by News18)
A commercial plane flying from Dubai to Israel was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

It briefly raised fears of a hijacking, and Israel sent up warplanes.

The plane landed in Tabuk, a civilian and military base in the kingdom.

Israeli media, quoting security officials, said the problem came from a fight between the plane's two pilots and that everyone on board was safe.

A regional official also said a fight broke out in the cockpit and seemed to involve the pilots, though it was not clear what caused it.

The official said the crew had been questioned but did not say if anyone had been detained.

An Israeli official said Israel believes the incident may have been an attempt to attack Israelis, but the investigation is still going on.

A third official confirmed Israel scrambled warplanes because it feared a hijacking of a plane carrying dozens of its citizens.

The three officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter is still under investigation.

According to FlightRadar24, the plane dropped from 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet within a minute about two and a half hours after leaving Dubai.

It then made an odd circle near the Jordanian border and landed in Tabuk about an hour later.

The plane was a Boeing 737 Max 8 and had sent out an emergency alert.

FlyDubai confirmed that flight FZ 1073, heading to Ben Gurion, had an incident and landed safely in Tabuk.

It said its teams are working with the authorities and more updates will come when details are confirmed.

Passengers told Israel's Channel 12 they heard shouting from those seated near the front, where the pilots' quarrel could be heard, and that the plane dipped sharply before landing.

They said everyone is staying on the plane with heavy Saudi security around them.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the situation is under control and Israel is working to bring the passengers home.

Netanyahu has warned in recent days of unspecified, higher security threats.

Emergency landings over crew issues are rare but not unheard of.

In 2022, two Air France pilots were suspended after fighting in the cockpit on a Geneva to Paris flight, but that plane did not need to divert.

FlyDubai is the low cost sister airline of Emirates.

The UAE has become a popular holiday spot for Israelis since the two countries normalised ties in 2020, and commercial flights have run between them since then.