Mid-air fight between pilots on Israel-bound flydubai flight triggers 'hijack' signal; plane diverted to Saudi Arabia
PTC News Desk: A fight between two pilots on a flydubai flight heading to Tel Aviv caused a major mid-air scare on Wednesday. The aircraft sent emergency signals, leading Israel to scramble fighter jets. The flight was later diverted and landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 was carrying around 180 passengers. A passenger named Miriam said she heard shouting from the cockpit. When the cockpit door opened, she saw one of the pilots injured and said there was blood around him.
The plane first sent the emergency code 7700, which indicates a general emergency. Shortly afterwards, it transmitted 7500, a code used when unlawful interference, including a possible hijacking, is suspected. However, the code itself does not confirm that a hijacking has taken place.
Flight tracking data showed that the aircraft briefly entered Jordanian airspace before turning around and heading back towards Saudi Arabia. The plane also suddenly lost altitude and at one point was flying at around 15,000 feet.
The emergency signal caused concern in Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held an emergency meeting with the defence minister, and Israeli airspace was briefly closed. However, the Prime Minister’s Office later said the incident was not a hijacking.
According to an Israeli official quoted by Reuters, the emergency signals were sent after the two pilots got into a physical fight.
It is still unclear what exactly happened inside the cockpit or whether the emergency codes were sent intentionally during the fight.
Flydubai confirmed that the aircraft landed safely and that all passengers were safe.
The airline said it would send another aircraft to Saudi Arabia to bring the passengers back to Tel Aviv.
- PTC NEWS
