flydubai Flight Drops 17,400 Feet In 2 Minutes Amid Possible Hijack Alert

A flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv reportedly issued an emergency signal and changed course over Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, September 30, triggering a security response in Israel. The aircraft, operating as flydubai flight FZ1073, was flying from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv when it reportedly transmitted the international emergency code 7700, according to flight-tracking data cited by Israeli media. This is an internationally recognised code for hijacking, but Times of Israel said in an update that hijacking bid was ruled out.

A CNN report said that Israeli Air Force fighter jets were scrambled following the alert. The outlet further said that the aircraft dropped 17,400 feet in altitude - from 34,000 to around 16,600 feet - over just two minutes.

FZ1073 landed safely in Tabuk, a civilian and military base in Saudi Arabia. According to Flight Radar, the incident occurred about 2.5 hours after takeoff.

After the initial emergency alert, the flight later change the distress code to 7500, which is the internationally recognised code for unlawful interference. Flight Radar published the timeline of the flight as it took off from Dubai Airport.

Reports claimed that the emergency signal on the plane was activated during a violent altercation between the pilots in the cockpit. Times of Israel claimed one of the pilots was stabbed in the altercation. Some reports also say that one of the pilots deliberately tried to crash the plane in order to take his own life and sharply pointed the airliner downward, but the second pilot engaged him in a struggle and managed to stop the descent. However, Israeli authorities are yet to confirm this development.

Also Read | 'Fight Between Pilots': What Happened Inside Diverted Dubai-Tel Aviv Flight

Passengers on the plane told Israel's Ch 12 by phone that they heard shouts from passengers toward the front of the plane who heard the altercation between the pilots, and the plane dipped steeply before landing in Saudi Arabia.

They also said that all the passengers are staying on the plane and that there is a heavy presence of Saudi security forces surrounding them.

"Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities. Further updates will be issued as additional confirmed details become available," an airline official is quoted as saying by news agency AP.

Haaretz reported that the aircraft has around 180 Israeli passengers onboard.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held an emergency meeting and is monitoring developments. "The incident is under control, and all measures are currently being deployed in order to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel," his office said on X.

FZ1073 was scheduled to fly from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. Flight-tracking records show that the route is a regularly operated Flydubai service between the two cities.

Emergency landings for personnel reasons are rare yet not unheard of. In 2022, two Air France pilots were suspended after fighting in the cockpit on a Geneva-Paris flight, though it did not have to be diverted and landed as planned.

FlyDubai is the lower-cost sister carrier of Emirates airlines. The United Arab Emirates has become a popular vacation destination for Israeli tourists since the countries normalised ties in 2020.