A routine Dubai-to-Tel Aviv flight turned into a mid-air emergency on Wednesday after an incident involving the pilots forced the aircraft to divert to Saudi Arabia.
Flydubai flight FZ1073, operating a Boeing 737, was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv when it transmitted emergency signals while flying over Jordanian airspace. The aircraft eventually landed safely at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
Israeli officials said it was not believed to be a hijacking.
According to Reuters, an Israeli official said the emergency signals were transmitted after the two pilots became involved in a physical altercation inside the cockpit.
However, the incident initially triggered fears of a hijacking because the aircraft transmitted an emergency code associated with possible unlawful interference.
Flight-tracking data showed the plane also experienced a dramatic altitude change, descending by nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before stabilising.
The exact sequence is still being investigated.
Two Israeli officials later told Reuters that the co-pilot was believed to have stabbed the captain, after which cabin crew entered the cockpit and took control of the situation. Both pilots were subsequently hospitalised with injuries, according to authorities at Tabuk airport.
Passenger accounts reported screams coming from the cockpit and described seeing blood, but these accounts have not independently established the full sequence of events. Reuters also said it could not immediately verify an image circulated by Israeli media.
Israeli media reported that around 150 Israeli passengers were travelling on the flight.
Despite the frightening sequence of events, the aircraft landed safely and all passengers were accounted for, Flydubai said.
The airline confirmed that the flight experienced an “incident” while en route to Tel Aviv and was diverted to Tabuk.
The incident prompted an immediate security response in Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held consultations with security officials, while Israel's military chief also conducted a situational assessment with senior air force officials.
Israeli officials are continuing to investigate what happened inside the cockpit and why the emergency signals were transmitted.
The flight did not end in a hijacking, according to the Israeli Prime Minister's Office.
But a cockpit confrontation, emergency signals, a sudden altitude drop and an emergency diversion to Saudi Arabia have turned FZ1073 into a major aviation incident.
For now, the plane landed safely. The passengers are safe. But exactly what happened inside that cockpit is still being investigated.