
A fight between pilots forced the flight to be diverted and prompted the deployment of Israeli fighter jets for fear of a hijacking.
AI-generated summary
The Emirates and Israel normalized relations in 2020, increasing tourism between both countries.
A commercial plane traveling from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to Israel was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, briefly raising concerns about a possible hijacking and prompting Israel to deploy fighter jets.
Israeli media, citing security officials, reported that the incident was caused by a dispute between the plane's two pilots and that all passengers on board were safe. They landed in Tabuk, a civil and military base in the Saudi kingdom.
The FlyDubai plane transmitted an emergency alert shortly after takeoff, according to publicly available flight tracking information.
According to a regional official briefed on the incident, a fight broke out in the cockpit that apparently involved the pilots. The reason for the dispute was not yet clear, he added.
A second official confirmed that Israel mobilized fighter jets for fear of the hijacking of a plane carrying dozens of its citizens. In recent days, the country's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned of unspecified growing security threats.
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the incident was still under investigation.
Netanyahu's office later said the situation was under control and work was underway to bring the passengers home.
Emergency landings for crew-related reasons are unusual, but not unheard of. In 2022, two Air France pilots were suspended after fighting in the cockpit on a Geneva-Paris flight, although the plane did not have to be diverted and landed as planned.
FlyDubai is Emirates Airlines' low-cost airline. The Emirates have become a popular holiday destination for Israeli tourists since the normalization of the relationship between the two nations in 2020.
According to Flight Radar, the incident occurred approximately two and a half hours after takeoff.
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Return of passengers to Israel
Very likely · Within hours

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