A Dubai-Tel Aviv flight diverted to Saudi Arabia after a brawl between pilots, an Israeli official said on Wednesday, after the aircraft transmitted emergency signals that initially raised fears of a hijacking. The flight, FZ1073 from Dubai, was bound for Israel when it was diverted over Jordanian airspace towards Saudi Arabia, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24.
The Boeing 737 first transmitted a general emergency signal before sending another emergency signal indicating a possible unlawful interference several minutes later. It then transmitted the general emergency signal again before landing at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia, the website said.
The incident was not believed to have been a hijacking, the Israeli prime minister’s office said. An Israeli official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the pilots had transmitted the emergency signals after getting into a physical altercation with each other. It was not immediately clear if either pilot had intentionally transmitted the signal.
Israeli fighter jets were scrambled after the emergency signal was received, an Israel Defence Forces spokesperson told CNN. The aircraft, travelling at an altitude of 34,000 feet, descended by about 17,400 feet to around 16,600 feet within two minutes at about 1:20am ET, according to flight-tracking data reviewed by CNN.
Three Israeli security officials earlier told Reuters that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held consultations over the flight. Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir also held a “situational assessment” with the commander of the air force and other military officials, Israel’s military said in a statement.
Yasmin Abu Kasis, whose daughter Miriam was on the flight, said that her daughter had told her that she had heard screaming and that a man took a knife, put the pilot on the floor, and that there was blood everywhere.
An airline spokesperson said the flight experienced an “incident” en route to Tel Aviv and diverted to Tabuk, where it landed safely. All passengers were safe and accounted for, the spokesperson said, without providing any further details.
The diversion of the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight to Saudi Arabia underscores the unusual nature of the emergency, which prompted a rapid military response and high-level consultations in Israel. While the aircraft landed safely and all passengers were reported safe, the circumstances surrounding the pilots’ altercation remain under investigation.
Source: Geo News