A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after experiencing an incident while en route on Wednesday, the airline said.
Flight FZ 1073, operating from Dubai International (DXB) to Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) on September 30, landed safely at Tabuk Airport (TUU), with all passengers safe and accounted for, a flydubai spokesperson said.
“Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities. Further updates will be issued as additional confirmed details become available,” the spokesperson said.
The airline said the safety and well-being of its passengers and crew remain its highest priority.
The official statement comes after several unconfirmed media and social media reports which claimed that the flight signalled an emergency before turning around, citing flight-tracking data shared by Flightradar24.
Flightradar24 data showed the aircraft, flight FDB1073, squawking 7700, the general emergency code used by aircraft to signal an emergency. The data also fuelled speculation about what may have prompted the diversion, although flydubai has not provided further details about the incident.
The flight had earlier squawked 7500, the transponder code for unlawful interference, before switching to 7700 as it flew near Tabuk at an altitude of about 5,000 feet. The aircraft subsequently landed at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.
Pilot altercation reported
The incident was later reported to have been caused by an altercation between the pilots on board, according to Israeli officials.
The Israeli military said IDF Chief of Staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir held an assessment of the incident with senior officers, including Israeli Air Force chief Maj Gen Omer Tischler, Operations Directorate chief Maj Gen Itzik Cohen and Intelligence Directorate chief Maj Gen Shlomi Binder.
Source: Gulf News
