A Flydubai passenger flight travelling from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv, Israel, was diverted to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after the aircraft issued an emergency alert shortly after takeoff.
According to publicly available flight-tracking information, the aircraft transmitted an emergency “unlawful interference” alert while en route to Israel.
Flydubai confirmed that the aircraft had “experienced an incident while en route” and landed safely at Tabuk Airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
The airline said all passengers and crew members were safe and accounted for, adding that further details about the incident would be provided later.
Israeli media, citing Israeli officials, reported that the alert was apparently triggered by an altercation between the pilots on board the flight. However, Flydubai had not publicly confirmed that explanation.
Following reports of the incident, Israeli military officials said Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir held an assessment with senior officers.
The aircraft’s safe landing in Saudi Arabia brought the emergency to an end, while authorities and the airline continued to assess what had occurred during the flight.
Tags
World News