Flydubai flight diverts to Saudi Arabia after pilot fight triggers hijack scare

Flydubai Flight FZ1073 carrying over 170 passengers from Dubai to Tel Aviv in Israel diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after a physical fight broke out between the pilots in the cockpit.

Security Scare

The mid-air altercation triggered a major security scare when emergency signals from the aircraft briefly pointed to a possible hijacking. Israel scrambled fighter jets in response, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held an urgent security consultation.

Flight Timeline

The flight took off from Dubai International Airport at 03:05 UTC. At 05:31 UTC, the squawk code changed, followed by another code change at 05:38 UTC. The aircraft left ground-based coverage at 06:11 UTC, and a further squawk signal was received via satellite at 06:28 UTC before the last signal was recorded at 06:58 UTC. Flydubai confirmed that the aircraft experienced an incident, landed safely, and all passengers remained safe and accounted for.

Context

Commercial aviation protocols treat any unexpected communication loss or sudden squawk code changes as serious security events. Aviation authorities and military forces maintain strict readiness procedures to respond immediately to potential airborne threats.