A Flydubai flight headed for Israel made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia Wednesday after a reported fight between the pilots triggered a distress alert, raising fears of a possible hijacking and prompting Israel to scramble fighter jets.The Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, and everyone aboard was reported safe, according to officials.A regional official briefed on the incident said an altercation broke out in the cockpit and apparently involved the pilots, though it was not immediately clear what sparked the confrontation.Israeli media, citing security officials, also reported that a dispute between the two pilots was behind the emergency.The incident prompted an immediate security response in Israel, where authorities initially feared the plane — carrying dozens of Israeli citizens — could have been hijacked.
A second official confirmed that Israel scrambled fighter jets as the situation unfolded.MIDAIR SCARE FORCES PACKED PASSENGER JET INTO EMERGENCY LANDING, TRAVELERS HOSPITALIZEDIsraeli tourists leave a FlyDubai plane which departed from Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv and landed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Nov.8, 2020.
(AP Photo/Malak Harb)The aircraft transmitted an emergency alert during the flight, according to publicly available flight-tracking information.Flight FZ1073 had departed Dubai and was headed for Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv before diverting to Tabuk.Passengers described a tense scene aboard the aircraft as the emergency unfolded.
Travelers told Israel's Channel 12 by phone that they heard shouting from passengers near the front of the plane who had apparently heard the cockpit altercation.They also said the aircraft dipped steeply before landing in Saudi Arabia.AMERICANS WARNED AGAINST TRAVEL PLANS AS TERRORISM THREATENS POPULAR DESTINATIONAfter landing, passengers remained aboard the plane as a heavy Saudi security presence surrounded the aircraft, according to their accounts to th...