Flydubai flight wey dey go from Dubai to Tel Aviv don divert go Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after emergency alert, according to flight-tracking data and airline statement. The plane, flight FZ1073, carry around 150 people, most of them Israeli, and e land safely for Tabuk Airport. Flydubai say all passengers dey safe and accounted for.
The flight take off from Dubai International Airport early Wednesday, after 20-minute delay. Flightradar24 data show e leave 03:05 UTC. Just over two hours after take-off, around 05:21 UTC, plane dey cruise at 34,000 feet. In less than two minutes, e descend more than 17,000 feet, down to less than 17,000 feet. Emergency signal come about 10 minutes later.
Flightradar24 talk say flight issue emergency squawk code 7700, wey mean general emergency, around 05:31 UTC. Minutes later, e switch to code 7500, wey mean unlawful interference, though Flightradar24 say dis one no dey visible on dia website. The flight briefly enter Jordanian airspace at 05:40 before e loop back into Saudi airspace six minutes later. E begin descend again at 06:11 on course towards Tabuk. Location data temporarily disappear, then re-emerge at 06:58 for Tabuk airport.
Israeli officials tell local media say the emergency alert follow an altercation between the pilot and co-pilot. Reuters and AP quote passenger testimony. Yasmin Abukasis tell Reuters her daughter Miriam dey on flight. Her daughter say she hear screaming. She say man wey hold knife force one pilot onto floor, and blood dey everywhere. Yasmin tell AP say her daughter hear screaming as pilot call for help. She quote her daughter: ‘The plane start to lose control. So all the people, they scream, they think they are going.’ Yasmin also tell Reuters say two other pilots take control as passengers run towards man wey get knife.
One female passenger tell Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom say the moment people realise plane dey descend fast na ‘very stressful’. She say: ‘We understood the pilots lost control.’ She talk about terrified screams from passengers. She claim one pilot suffer serious stab wounds before attacker drag off him. She add: ‘There are people here with shirts covered in blood.’ She say: ‘Now we are fine and want to return home.’
Israeli media report more passenger accounts. An unnamed passenger tell Jerusalem Post say one pilot stab another, but passengers near front help force attacker from cockpit. The witness say two other pilots dey for back of plane. ‘I shouted at them to run and take control of the plane,’ the passenger tell Jerusalem Post. The passenger also say dentist on flight give injured pilot life-saving care.
Passengers tell Israel’s Channel 12 by phone say dem hear shouts from front of plane and hear altercation between pilots. Dem say plane dip steeply before e land for Saudi Arabia. Dem also say all passengers stay on plane, and heavy presence of Saudi security forces surround dem. An unnamed Israeli official tell Channel 12 say ‘a very serious disaster was averted.’ Jerusalem Post cite another unnamed Israeli official say ‘major disaster was narrowly avoided.’
Flydubai confirm flight FZ1073 ‘experienced an incident while en route.’ For statement, airline say: ‘The aircraft has landed safely in Tabuk Airport (TUU) and all passengers are safe and accounted for. The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority. Our teams are working closely with the relevant authorities. Further updates will be issued as additional confirmed details become available.’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu say for statement say situation dey under control, and efforts dey underway to return Israeli passengers home from Saudi Arabia. Israeli military say Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir hold assessment of incident with senior officers. A recovery flight, Flydubai FZ8455, set off from Dubai just before 12:56 local time (09:56 BST), according to Flightradar24. E due land Tabuk at 14:41 local time (12:41 BST), then take passengers go Tel Aviv, their original destination.
Flight-tracking data indicate the plane na Boeing 737 Max 8. FlyDubai na lower-cost sister carrier of Emirates airline. UAE don become popular holiday destination for Israeli tourists since countries normalise ties in 2020. Dubai International Airport, where flight originate, na by far Middle East busiest airport and world largest for international travel. E handle record 95.2 million passengers last year. Emergency landings for personnel reasons rare yet not unheard of. In 2022, two Air France pilots suspend after fighting in cockpit on Geneva-Paris flight, though dat flight no divert and e land as planned.
