Flydubai pilot investigated is the focus of inquiries after a Tel Aviv-bound flight abruptly lost altitude on Wednesday before diverting to Saudi Arabia, according to Israeli media reports.
The aircraft reportedly descended thousands of meters within about a minute and conducted an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. Flydubai said all passengers were safe.
In a separate development, a second Flydubai service from Dubai to Tel Aviv turned back toward Dubai, flight-tracking service Flightradar24 showed. The reason for the diversion of flight FZ1081 was not immediately known.
Flydubai pilot investigated amid midair incident
Flydubai said flight FZ 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv experienced an “incident” en route and landed safely at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia. The aircraft involved was a Boeing 737 MAX 8.
“The aircraft has landed safely in Tabuk Airport and all passengers are safe and accounted for,” a Flydubai spokesperson said.
Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reported that authorities are examining whether one pilot attempted to deliberately crash the plane and whether the other pilot intervened. Israeli media also reported that one pilot sustained a stab wound, after initial accounts described the episode as a fight on the flight deck.
The Israeli news site Ynet reported the jet entered a steep descent and that passengers assisted one pilot in preventing the other from crashing the aircraft. Images published by Israeli outlets appeared to show a passenger with blood on his shirt.
Reports differed on the nationalities of the flight crew. Some outlets said one was Russian and the other Ukrainian, while others reported they were Omani and Emirati.
How far did the plane descend?
Flight-tracking data indicated the aircraft abruptly lost about half its cruising altitude near Saudi Arabia’s border with Jordan. According to Flightradar data, the plane dropped from nearly 34,000 feet (10,360 meters) at 05:21 GMT/UTC to below 17,000 feet (5,180 meters) at 05:22 GMT/UTC.
Israel’s Kan public broadcaster and Channel 12 reported that the Israeli military scrambled fighter jets amid initial fears of a hijacking, a scenario that was later dismissed, according to those reports.
Israeli officials monitor developments
An unnamed senior Israeli government official told Channel 12 that a major disaster had been averted. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he held consultations and was tracking the situation.
“The incident is under control, and all measures are currently being deployed in order to return the Israeli passengers safely to Israel,” his office said.
This is a developing story.
Earlier this year, tensions in and around Jerusalem also drew global concern when Itamar Ben-Gvir’s visit to the Al-Aqsa compound sparked an outcry during Sukkot, highlighting the broader regional volatility.