FlyDubai jet to Tel Aviv diverts to Saudi Arabia after incident
All aboard flight FZ 1073 are safe after emergency landing in Tabuk; Israeli officials cite altercation between pilots, an account the airline has not confirmed
DUBAI (MNTV) — A FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was diverted to Saudi Arabia after what the airline described as an in-flight incident, landing safely with all on board accounted for, as conflicting accounts circulated over what had occurred.
In a statement, the Dubai-based carrier said flight FZ 1073 “experienced an incident while en route” and diverted to Tabuk Airport in north-western Saudi Arabia.
“All passengers are safe and accounted for,” it said, adding that its teams were coordinating with the relevant authorities and that further updates would follow “as additional confirmed details become available.”
The airline did not disclose the number of people on board or the nature of the incident.
According to flight-tracking data cited by international media, the aircraft transmitted an “unlawful interference” signal — the code used to flag a suspected hijacking or security threat — shortly after takeoff, before diverting.
Israeli media, citing Israeli officials, reported that the emergency alert had been triggered by a physical altercation between the two pilots in the cockpit.
That account could not be independently verified, and FlyDubai has not confirmed a cause.
More dramatic versions circulated in some outlets, including claims of a suspected “terror” plot, an attempted crash, or a confrontation between crew members of different nationalities.
None of those accounts has been officially confirmed, and they rest largely on unnamed security sources; MNTV could not verify them.
The flight’s diversion drew a security response in Israel, where the military said the chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, held an assessment of the incident with senior officers.
Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport was the flight’s destination on a route that has grown busier as Gulf carriers expand service to Israel.
The episode remains under investigation, with Saudi and UAE aviation authorities expected to establish the sequence of events.
Until they and the airline release confirmed findings, the cause of the emergency — and the competing claims surrounding it — stays unresolved.
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