A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday after a physical altercation between the two pilots triggered emergency signals that briefly raised fears of a hijacking and prompted Israel to scramble fighter jets.
Flight FZ1073, a Boeing 737 MAX carrying 174 passengers, including 27 children, transmitted the international code 7500, which denotes unlawful interference with an aircraft and is closely associated with hijackings. The signal set off an immediate security response in Israel, where officials said they initially had no definitive information confirming a hijacking but treated the distress signal with urgency given the number of Israeli citizens aboard. Israeli Air Force jets were scrambled while authorities in Israel worked to establish contact with the aircraft and determine what was happening on board.
As more information emerged, authorities determined the emergency stemmed not from an attempt by passengers or outside parties to seize the aircraft, but from a violent confrontation between the two pilots inside the cockpit. A regional official briefed on the incident said the exact cause of the altercation was not immediately clear, and Israeli media, citing security officials, similarly attributed the emergency to a dispute between the pilots rather than any broader security threat. One Israeli official described the incident to a local outlet as not something innocent.
Flydubai confirmed the aircraft experienced an incident en route to Ben Gurion Airport and landed safely in Tabuk, and said it had opened an investigation while notifying Israeli authorities. Saudi and Israeli authorities are both examining what occurred aboard the flight. The airline said further details would be released as they are confirmed.
Disputes between pilots serious enough to affect a flight are uncommon but not unprecedented; two Air France pilots were suspended in 2022 after a physical altercation in the cockpit during a flight from Geneva to Paris. The initial hijacking fears carried particular weight in Israel, where aviation security protocols have long been shaped by a history of attacks targeting Israeli travelers and aircraft.
