Israeli officials say a physical altercation between the two pilots of flydubai flight FZ1073 prompted the aircraft to transmit an emergency signal and divert to Saudi Arabia. The plane, which Israeli media reported was carrying 174 passengers, landed safely at Tabuk airport in north-western Saudi Arabia on the morning of Wednesday, September 30. An Israeli official told Reuters that the incident was not a hijacking but an internal dispute among the flight crew.

Flydubai confirmed in an official statement that the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv had experienced an “incident”. The airline said the aircraft landed safely in Tabuk and that all passengers were safe and accounted for. Flydubai added that it was working closely with the relevant authorities and would provide further information once details had been verified. The statement did not specify the nature of the incident or mention an altercation between the pilots.

Israel Hayom reported that the altercation involved the Russian captain and his Ukrainian co-pilot. According to the Walla news website, one of the pilots was stabbed and lost consciousness during the confrontation. Israeli officials also told Ynet that they were investigating whether the same pilot had intended to deliberately crash the aircraft. Investigations into the cause and details of the altercation are continuing, and flydubai has not confirmed the claims.

Flight data showed that the aircraft experienced a very steep descent during the incident. CNN reported that it descended from about 34,000 feet to around 16,600 feet in just over two minutes.

One passenger told Israel’s Channel 12 that passengers heard shouting and saw blood when the cockpit door opened. After an initial assessment, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the situation was under control and that efforts were underway to ensure the safe return of the Israeli passengers.

Ynet reported that flydubai’s chief executive had said another aircraft would be sent from Dubai to Tabuk to transport the passengers to Israel.

According to Flightradar24 data, the aircraft initially transmitted the emergency code 7700. It then briefly activated code 7500, indicating “unlawful interference”, before transmitting code 7700 again. The use of code 7500 initially raised concerns about a possible hijacking, prompting Israel to scramble fighter jets.

Flight FZ1073 was ultimately diverted to Tabuk, where it landed safely. The landing also drew attention because it brought a large number of Israeli passengers into Saudi Arabia at the same time. Saudi Arabia and Israel do not have formal diplomatic relations.