Flydubai Flight Diverted After Apparent Pilot Fight

What changed

A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv diverted to Tabuk Airport in northeastern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after an apparent physical fight between the pilot and co-pilot.

The aircraft, carrying around 150 people, signalled a general emergency about two hours after takeoff. It briefly switched to a code associated with hijacking before returning to the emergency signal. The flight had been bound for Ben-Gurion Airport.

Why it matters

This was a cockpit incident that quickly became a regional security event. Israeli authorities dispatched fighter jets, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held urgent consultations.

The hijacking signal raised the stakes, even though the prime minister’s office said the incident was not believed to be a hijacking. The reported fight and its link to the emergency signals remain attributed to local reporting and Israeli defence officials.