Reuters quoted an Israeli official as saying on Wednesday that a plane heading to Israel from Dubai was diverted to Saudi Arabia after it sent emergency signals “because of a quarrel between the pilots and not because of a hijacking,” in a story confirmed by Israeli media, while the plane later landed at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed that the change in the course of the Flydubai plane "is not believed to be the result of a hijacking."
This coincided with the pilot changing the course of the plane that entered Jordanian airspace, and then diverted its course towards Saudi Arabia, according to a BBC Arabic correspondent in Jerusalem.
Flydubai said that Flight 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv today “had an accident while in flight,” adding that the plane landed safely in Tabuk and that all passengers were fine.
It stated that it will issue additional updates when more confirmed details become available.
According to Israeli media, another plane is scheduled to be sent from Dubai to Saudi Arabia to transport the plane’s passengers and continue their journey.
Israeli media reported that an altercation took place between the pilot of the plane and his co-pilot, which required the activation of the distress signal, which raised fears of a hijacking. Passengers on board the plane intervened to separate the two pilots during the quarrel that broke out between them, and published pictures of one of the passengers wearing a blood-stained shirt.
The Saudi Tabuk Airport announced that the pilot of the plane that landed at the airport and his co-pilot were injured and were taken to the hospital.
A statement from Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Tabuk said that the Flydubai plane “landed at the airport at 9:45 am local time (6:45 GMT), and it was found that both the plane’s captain and the co-pilot were injured. They were transported to the hospital, providing the necessary care to the passengers and coordinating with the air carrier to secure an alternative plane.”
Israeli Channel 12 said, “There is an investigation into whether the pilot of the plane attempted to commit suicide by shooting down the plane, and his assistant intervened.” However, it was not possible to verify this information, according to Agence France-Presse.
Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that the security establishment now believes that the plane that diverted today, on its way from the Emirates to Israel, may have witnessed a “terrorist act.”
According to reports, Netanyahu may hold a new security consultation session regarding the incident, amid reports that have not yet been confirmed, stating that “the two pilots who were on board the plane were Omani and Emirati.”
At Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia, located more than 100 kilometers from the Jordanian border, an Agence France-Presse correspondent reported a security deployment in the vicinity of the airport, where an ambulance could also be seen.
Earlier, Reuters quoted three Israeli security officials as saying that Netanyahu held consultations regarding the plane that changed its course during its trip to Israel and declared a state of emergency.
Netanyahu's office later stated that Israel is taking all measures to return the Israeli passengers safely, stressing that matters are under control.
The Israeli Chief of Staff conducted an “assessment of the situation with the participation of the Air Force Commander, the Chief of Operations, the Chief of the Intelligence and other leaders,” according to Israeli army spokeswoman Ella Wawiyeh.
Israeli media reported that the plane, carrying more than 150 people, sent a distress signal before changing its course over Saudi Arabia, prompting the Israeli Air Force to send two fighters towards it.
According to flight tracking data reported by The Times of Israel, the plane initially sent code 7700, which indicates a general emergency, before later sending code 7500, used to indicate the hijacking of an aircraft or illegal interference in its operation.
