Flydubai Flight Bound for Israel Makes Emergency Landing in Saudi Arabia

International Desk | PNN

A Flydubai passenger aircraft traveling from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to Israel made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The aircraft sent an emergency signal shortly after takeoff and later landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.

Flydubai said an unwanted incident occurred on board the aircraft while it was traveling through the air. The aircraft was subsequently diverted to Tabuk Airport. The airline said all passengers were safe and accounted for, adding that further details about the incident would be provided later.

The aircraft sent an emergency signal shortly after taking off on Wednesday. According to flight-tracking website Flightradar24, the aircraft was flying at an altitude of around 34,000 feet. Its altitude then dropped to below 17,000 feet within just one minute.

Israeli media, citing officials, reported that the situation may have originated from an argument or physical altercation between the aircraft’s two pilots. However, this information could not be independently verified.

According to flight-tracking data, the aircraft was a Boeing 737 MAX 8. Several passengers told Israeli media that there was a significant presence of Saudi security forces at Tabuk Airport after the emergency landing.

According to passengers, shouting could be heard from the front section of the aircraft. They said a situation resembling a physical altercation between the pilots subsequently developed. They also reported that the aircraft suddenly descended before landing.

Following the incident, the Israeli government took steps to bring Israeli citizens stranded in Saudi Arabia safely back home. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the situation was under control and that necessary measures were being taken to ensure the safe return of the Israeli passengers.

The Israeli military said that following the incident, military chief of staff Eyal Zamir held a meeting with senior military officials to discuss the situation.

Flydubai is the low-cost subsidiary of Emirates, the state-owned airline of the United Arab Emirates. Following the normalization of diplomatic relations between the UAE and Israel in 2020, Dubai became a popular destination for Israeli tourists.

Flydubai’s fleet consists primarily of Boeing 737-series aircraft. The airline has around 100 aircraft in its fleet, including 69 Boeing 737 MAX 8s.

Emergency landings resulting from personal disputes between pilots are rare in aviation history, but they are not entirely unprecedented. In 2022, two pilots on an Air France flight from Geneva to Paris were involved in a physical altercation. However, the aircraft did not need to change its route and landed at its scheduled destination.

The Flydubai flight involved in Wednesday’s incident departed from Dubai International Airport. One of the world’s busiest airports for international passenger traffic, Dubai International served a record 95.2 million passengers last year.